To say that “TODAY” Show co-host Sheinelle Jones had a rough 2025 would be putting it lightly yet completely understandable. As you may remember, she lost the love of her life and husband of 17 years, Uche Ojeh, in May to a rare form of brain cancer and took some major time away from the show to grieve alongside her three children.
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After coming back in September, she slowly began getting back in the daytime TV groove. As the year came to a close, she ended it on somewhat of a high note after it was announced she’d be replacing Hoda Kotb as the permanent co-anchor of the 10 o’clock hour of the” TODAY Show” alongside Jenne Bush Hager. However, tragedy would strike once again as she shared with her followers and fans that her beloved grandmother passed away on New Year’s Eve.
Now, Jones is opening up in an all-new interview where she getting candid about how she and her children are navigating life after their major loss.
How She’s Juggling a New Show and Grief
Speaking to PEOPLE in a new interview digitally released on Wednesday, Jones explained that while she considers the new hosting gig a “win,” she’s not necessarily in a place where she’s “better.” What she is, however, is a woman who’s learning how to navigate joy and grief and the same time and how to hold space for them both to peacefully coexist.
“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. I’ve had to really do the work. Empathy is my superpower now, and I recognize that I hold two things: I hold my grief, and I also hold this joy. I said it months ago, and I’ll say it now: I am fighting for my joy,” she explained.
She later added, “If I told you the depth of my groans and tears just months ago to one of the best days of my life here today, you couldn’t even write it.”
How Uche’s Death Challenged Her Faith in God
Later on in the interview, Jones detailed how watching her husband battle cancer was a challenging time, especially when it came to her belief system and faith journey. She then explained that while she constantly prayed with and for her husband to live, she has a “peace that passes all understanding” now that things have played out the way it did.
“Not once did I think I was going to lose him,” she said. “When you’re a woman of faith, you realize that you’re praying for an outcome and then if the outcome doesn’t come, then what? And that’s when I’ve really had to dig deep and realize that maybe I just don’t fully understand. I know God loves me and I know God loves [Uche] and I know God loves my children and our families, so like, why is this happening?”
She continued: “I still don’t know if I have the answer, but 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.”
How She’s Helping Her Kids Through the Loss of Their Father
In addition to her own grief journey, Jones also has to figure out how to show up properly for her children, who are also all having to deal with the loss of their father. For context, Jones and Ojeh share one eldest son Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche Jr, who are both 13. When it comes to them, she tries to remind them they had more time with their father than some kids get and that she’s cultivating an environment where her kids can carry Ojeh’s memory and legacy with “power” instead of pain.
She’s also hoping that by setting a good example for them by living and walking out her life even after the loss, that will inspire their kids to keep moving forward.
“When my kids and I look back, what mother do I want them to see? Who is the woman I want to be? It’s like, ‘OK, she’d do it. So let’s go.’ Being a single mom is really hard, but I’m proud of my kids for how we’re managing,” she said.
She later mentioned, “When I hear my kids laugh, I know they’re going to be okay. There’s joy there. And for me, going back to work, with all of those people surrounding me, I feel safe and loved, and I don’t have to pretend. My joy is real.”
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