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Sheinelle Jones Says Her Late Husband Sent Her a Sign About Today with Jenna & Sheinelle Role: ‘He’s Like, Told You’
Sheinelle Jones says her late husband is still cheering her on — and she felt his presence as she officially joined Jenna Bush Hager for Today’s fourth hour.
On Monday, January 12, NBC introduced Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, officially naming Jones as Hager’s permanent cohost. The milestone moment was filled with emotion, heartfelt tributes and surprise appearances from former hosts Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford, marking the start of a new era for the morning show franchise.
During her opening remarks, Sheinelle revealed that the role felt like fate — especially after rediscovering a text message from her late husband, Uche Ojeh, that she believes was a sign from him.
“Uche always felt like when we were in college, like, ‘Oh you should do a show, you should do a talk [show].’ He just felt like I should, and I used to be like, ‘Whatever, whatever,’” Jones shared. She explained that when Kotb announced she was leaving Today, Ojeh was already seriously ill. “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 sent me emojis and stuff like that, and that would be how we talked.”
Jones then revealed that she recently stumbled upon a text Ojeh sent her in fall 2024 after news broke that Kotb would be exiting Today with Hoda & Jenna. The message included a link to an article about Hoda’s departure — along with emojis that made his meaning crystal clear.
“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,” she said through tears, pointing out the strong arm and crossed-fingers emojis he added.
At the time, Jones admitted she couldn’t fully process what he was trying to tell her. “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,’” she recalled. “So now, it just feels like confirmation because here we are like two years later and he’s like, ‘Told you.’”
Ojeh died in May 2025 after a battle with glioblastoma. He was 45. Jones shares three children with him — son Kayin, 16, and 13-year-old twins Clara and Uche Jr.
Jones’ official addition to the fourth hour comes after Bush Hager spent a year hosting solo following Kotb’s early 2025 exit. During that time, Today with Jenna & Friends featured more than 60 guest cohosts, including celebrities like Scarlett Johansson and familiar faces from the Today family.
Before stepping into her new role, Jones revealed that Kotb reached out with words she’ll never forget. “Last night obviously, as you guys can imagine, it was an emotional rollercoaster for me and my phone kept ‘zip, zip, zip, zip,’” she said in December 2025. “And it was Hoda.”
After stepping away to take the call, Jones remembered Kotb’s advice clearly. “She goes, ‘Don’t say anything just listen,’” she recalled, before sharing what she called “45 seconds of wisdom that changed me.”
“She said, ‘You’re gonna be doing graduation speeches and all that.’ And she goes, ‘I promise you,’ she goes, ‘let’s remember this moment, you’re gonna talk about how this was a moment that changed your career and it was the best decision, for your kids, for you. Working with Jenna, it’s gonna be better than you could ever imagine.’”
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