Sheinelle Jones, the beloved 3rd Hour of “TODAY” co-host, took a step back from her hosting duties in December 2024 to tend to a family health matter. In May, Jones’ husband of 17 years, Uche Ojeh, died after a courageous battle with brain cancer. Now, the “TODAY” show just made an announcement about when she will return and fans are already emotional.
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On Tuesday (Sept. 2), the NBC series announced Jones will return to Studio 1A beginning Friday (Sept. 5). In a pre-taped interview with Savannah Guthrie, the Philadelphia native will speak about how “she and her children are grieving the loss of their father” and why she calls her experience a “beautiful nightmare.” During the sit-down, Jones, 47, will also share an encouraging message of hope for anyone else experiencing tribulations or loss.
As we previously reportedly, Jones took to Instagram earlier this year to share how she “sincerely appreciates all of you who have reached out while I’ve been absent from the show.” At the time, she wrote how she was “taking time to deal with a family health matter,” but didn’t provide any additional context. A source close to Jones called the situation “serious” and a “sensitive time” for the TV co-host, per PEOPLE.
On May 23, her co-hosts announced that her husband, Uche Ojeh, had died after battling glioblastoma, the most common brain tumor in adults and an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 45. At the time of his death, Ojeh and Jones, who met at Northwestern University in the late ’90s, had been married for nearly two decades. They first met when Jones was showing Uche, then a high-school senior, around the Chicago-suburb campus– and the rest was history. They went on to have three children together: son Kayin and twins Clara and Uche.
Dylan Dreyer provided an update on his colleague Jones, saying that she is “taking the time she needs to spend with those kids” while in “mom mode” in July. Now, Jones will offer an update of her own this Friday.
“This is great news,” one person wrote on X after her return’s annoucement. “Excited to see you back Sheinelle,” they added.
A second person commented, “What a beautiful soul and an exceptionally Strong Woman,” while a third person penned, “I’m so happy to have her back. She was truly missed.” The love online continued, as another X user added: “Wishing Sheinelle strength as she returns. much respect for her courage.”
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