At a Glance
- Sheinelle Jones felt her late husband Uche Ojeh send a sign during her News Of Losangeles cover interview on the day she became cohost of Today with Jenna & Sheinelle
- Ojeh, 45, died of glioblastoma in May after 17 years of marriage and three children
- Every light on the interview set went out seconds after Jones pictured his proud reaction to her new role
- Why it matters: Jones shows how holding grief and joy together powers her return to morning television
Sheinelle Jones never asked her husband for a sign. Yet as she spoke about him during her News Of Losangeles cover interview, every light on set suddenly went dark, and she knew Uche Ojeh had found a way to answer the question she never voiced.
A Sign in Electricity
Jones, 47, had wanted to ask Ojeh to send reassurance if he died, but stopped herself. “I didn’t want him to think, ‘Not you too,'” she told Ethan R. Coleman. She never made the request, yet believes he delivered anyway.
The moment came after she described how Ojeh, who died of glioblastoma at 45 in May, would react to her January 12 debut as cohost of Today with Jenna & Sheinelle. She pictured his proud hug, the same one he gave after she finished the 2023 New York City Marathon.
Seconds later, the studio went black. “They say things come to you in electricity,” Jones said. “I know it’s him.”
College Sweethearts Turned Caregivers
Jones and Ojeh met in college and married for 17 years, raising son Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche Jr., 13. When doctors diagnosed Ojeh with the aggressive brain cancer, the couple never discussed the end.
“I think people have these visions of these long, heartfelt conversations… but when someone’s 45 and on two soccer teams in the city, you’re not talking about the end, you’re fighting beside them,” Jones explained.
She realized it might be selfish to want him to stay when she saw him trying only to postpone the family’s grief.
Holding Grief and Joy Together
Jones still senses Ojeh everywhere: yellow butterflies, sunflowers, the tie she gave their son for Model Congress. “I owe it to him to keep going,” she said.
Returning to Today in September 2025 after a year away, Jones calls her grief “like swimming through mud every day.” Yet she anchors her new role alongside Jenna Bush Hager, who calls Jones a reminder that “joy and heartbreak can be held at the same time.”
“Empathy is my superpower now,” Jones said. “I hold my grief, and I also hold this joy. I am fighting for my joy.”
Key Takeaways
- Jones never asked Ojeh for a sign, yet believes the blackout was his answer
- She pictures his proud face each morning as she cohosts the fourth hour
- The couple’s three children keep their father’s memory alive through small keepsakes
- Jones credits her faith and family for the strength to return to live television
