At a Glance
- Sheinelle Jones lost husband Uche Ojeh, 45, to glioblastoma in May
- She launches Today with Jenna & Sheinelle on Jan. 12
- Why it matters: Her return shows how public figures navigate private grief
Sheinelle Jones is navigating life, television and parenthood without her husband of 17 years, Uche Ojeh, who died of brain cancer nine months ago. In her first major interview since the loss, the 47-year-old broadcaster tells News Of Losangeles she is “fighting for my joy” while anchoring a new hour of Today.
The Loss That Changed Everything
Ojeh, a lifelong athlete and father of three, was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2023. Jones worked through his 18-month treatment, anchoring the 3rd Hour of Today while juggling hospital stays and school runs.
“I don’t even think I understood fully what it would feel like to not have him,” she says. The small absences sting most: boarding a plane without texting him, watching their twins turn 13 without him.
The couple met in college and shared three children-Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche Jr., 13.
Stepping Back to Step Forward
Co-anchors became caregivers. Al Roker delivered breakfast sandwiches to hospice. Craig Melvin visited frequently. Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb arrived with gift baskets and devotionals.
In December 2024 Dylan Dreyer urged Jones to take leave. “She gently encouraged her exhausted friend to step away from work and be with her family,” Daniel J. Whitman reports.
Jones took the advice, staying off-air from late 2024 until September 2025.
A New Desk, Same Heartbreak
On January 12, Jones debuted Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, replacing the rotating guest format that marked the fourth hour after Kotb’s departure. The launch is her first professional milestone without Ojeh.
“People see me on TV and they think ‘Oh, she’s better.’ It’s like, ‘Oh, no no. I’m not better.’ Every day, it’s like swimming through mud,” she says.
Co-host Jenna Bush Hager calls Jones “a reminder to all of us that joy and heartbreak can be held at the same time.”
Faith, Grief and Yellow Butterflies
Jones clung to prayer throughout Ojeh’s illness. “Not once did I think I was going to lose him,” she says. When the outcome shifted, her theology shifted with it.
“I have peace that passes all understanding. That’s a Bible verse. It doesn’t mean that it’s easier. It doesn’t mean that my grief is not excruciating,” she explains.
She senses Ojeh in yellow butterflies, sunflowers and the tie their son wore to Model Congress. “I know that he knows,” she says of the new show. “He was rooting for me all along.”
Parenting Through Pain
Jones wants her children to carry their father’s legacy “not with pain, but with power.”
She prioritizes presence-sitting front-row at Clara’s recital, flying with Kayin to soccer camp-while admitting, “This was the first thing I couldn’t fix.”
Empathy has become her “superpower,” she says. “I hold my grief, and I also hold this joy.”
Key Takeaways
- Grief and professional duty can coexist; Jones returns to live TV nine months after loss
- Support networks matter-colleagues delivered meals, books and honest advice
- Public figures modeling vulnerability can help normalize private heartbreak
- Small rituals-yellow butterflies, a son’s tie-keep memory alive without halting forward motion
