On her first day as permanent co-host alongside Jenna Bush Hager, Today host Sheinelle Jones shared her late husband’s last text. He passed away last year from brain cancer. Stay on this page to see his final message.
Sheinelle Jones Still Grieving Huge Loss
Sheinelle Jones has been on the Today Show since 2014. She took an extended leave of absence starting in December 2024. She revealed that her husband was battling brain cancer. The Today host met Uche Ojeh when they were students at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
The couple married in 2017 after dating for seven or eight years. They shared three children. Sadly, Savannah Guthrie broke the news to viewers in May 2025 that her co-host’s husband had passed away. Sheinelle Jones stayed off the show for a few more months before returning to the third hour in September.
Today Host Shares Late Husband’s Heartbreaking Last Text
After years of co-hosting the show’s third hour, Sheinelle Jones made a major move. Hoda Kotb took a step back from the NBC show in January 2025 to spend more time with her kids. After months of guest co-hosts, including Matt Rogers, Jenna Bush Hager announced in November that Sheinelle Jones was named as a permanent co-host.
Her first day on Jenna & Sheinelle was on Monday, January 12. It was just as emotional as her goodbye to the Today Show‘s third hour. Sheinelle Jones revealed something extremely personal to the audience at Jenna Bush Hager’s urging. “I did not plan to share this, but I shared it with Jenna and she is having me share this with you,” she told the viewers at home.
She mentioned that her husband had been talking about her joining a morning show since they were in college. When Hoda Kotb left, he thought that his wife was the perfect replacement. Sheinelle Jones revealed that her husband was very ill by then and couldn’t talk much. Instead, he communicated by texting her emojis.
The Today host recounted how she found an old text from her late husband after it was announced that Hoda Kotb was exiting the morning show. He sent her a screenshot of an article about Hoda’s departure. Sheinelle Jones’ husband included several emojis, including thumbs up and fingers crossed.
Sheinelle Jones revealed that she never responded to the text. “What you don’t see is that I didn’t respond to that … it didn’t even register for me. … And so now, it just feels like confirmation, because here we are two years later,” she said.
Jenna Bush Hager told her new co-host that Uche Ojeh was looking down on her. She noted that the studio was “full” of supporters watching the debut of Jenna & Sheinelle.
Sheinelle Jones’ emotional revelation about her husband’s final text left viewers in tears. Check out some of the comments on the YouTube clip of the emotional moment.
- “Her husband would have been so proud”
- “What a beautiful full circle moment to achieve what Uche believed you could do. Congrats Sheinelle!”
- “Okay, I am crying”
Many viewers could relate to the heartbreaking loss of a loved one. Share your reaction to the last text in the comments.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
