Sheinelle Jones Reflects on a Touching Message from Her Late Husband About Her Role on Today with Jenna & Sheinelle

Sheinelle Jones and late husband Uche Ojeh.
Credit: NBC; Bennett Raglin/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Sheinelle Jones had an emotional premiere episode of Today with Jenna & Sheinelle on Monday, Jan. 12.
• During the opening discussion, Jones shared a two-year-old text she recently found from her late husband, Uche Ojeh, about her potentially taking over for Hoda Kotb.
• Jones said reading the text felt like hearing her late husband telling her, “told you!”

On January 12, a new chapter unfolded in the fourth hour of NBC’s Today as Sheinelle Jones was introduced as Jenna Bush Hager’s permanent co-host.

The premiere was filled with emotional moments, including guest appearances by former co-hosts Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford.

In her opening remarks, Jones shared a poignant story about a two-year-old text from her late husband that she recently discovered, which reaffirmed her belief that this new role was meant for her.

“Uche always felt like when we were in college, like, ‘Oh you should do a show, you should do a talk show,’” Jones recalled. “He just felt like I should, and I used to be like, ‘Whatever, whatever.’ When Hoda announced that she was leaving, he was really sick and he wasn’t talking as much, but I could talk to him and he could send me emojis and stuff like that, and that would be how we talked.”

Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones hug on the premiere episode of ‘Today with Jenna & Sheinelle.’

NBC

Jones later showed the audience a photo of Ojeh’s text after the news broke in the fall of 2024 that Hoda Kotb would be leaving the show.

“It was an article that said that Hoda was going to depart, and he felt like it was my turn to shine and to try,” Jones said, wiping away tears as she displayed Ojeh’s supportive emojis, including a strong arm and crossed fingers.

Sheinelle Jones shows text message from husband Uche Ojeh from 2024.

NBC/ Karsten Moran for The New York Times

“It didn’t even register for me. He kept trying to go back to it, and I was like, ‘No, we gotta save your life first. I don’t want to talk about me. I want to talk about you,’” Jones recalled. “So now, it just feels like confirmation because here we are like two years later and he’s like, ‘Told you.’”

Uche Ojeh passed away from glioblastoma in May 2025, at the age of 45, leaving behind Jones and their three children: son Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche Jr., 13.

Jones’ introduction to the program follows a year in which Bush Hager ran the show solo, featuring over 60 guest co-hosts, including celebrities like Scarlett Johansson. This new offering, Today with Jenna & Friends, started in January 2025 after Kotb’s exit.

Sheinelle Jones and Jenna Bush Hager on ‘Today with Hoda & Jenna’ in 2023.

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

In December 2025, Bush Hager publicly announced that Jones would assume the permanent co-host role, following Jones’ return to the show after a prolonged hiatus.

Initially, Jones took leave in late 2024 to support her husband, Uche Ojeh, during his treatment for glioblastoma. Upon her return, she reflected on her journey, saying, “When I came back from leave, I talked about fighting for my joy. This is what it looks like. It feels divine. It feels like Uche’s up there with God. He’s Mr. Competitive. He’s like, ‘Alright, let’s make this happen for Sheinelle.’ I put on his shirt this morning, and I said a little prayer, and I’m like, ‘Let’s go be with — not my friend, but my sister.’”