The Tragic Truth About Today Show Host Sheinelle Jones' Life

Like her fellow co-hosts on NBC's "Today" show, Sheinelle Jones is a delightful presence with a warm smile and unique perspective. Having been on the show since 2014, Jones has made herself a household name, even if she's suffered a few absences or two. Jones, being one of the members of "Today" who has suffered a tragedy, has an indomitable work ethic, which is why any stretch of time she takes from behind the "Today" desk is concerning. Each time she's had to take a step back, it's often been an indication that something could be wrong for the "Wild Child" host.

In early 2025, around the same time Hoda Kotb made a mess of her "Today" exit, Jones herself slipped quietly from the limelight of the small screen. This wasn't the first time Jones had to take an extended stay from her position, but it was one of the more tragic absences. While it's clear that Jones loves her job, especially when she's on air, her behind-the-scenes life has been full of hardships. In fact, there have been several stunning events Jones has had to overcome to get to where she is today.

In 2016, "Today" show co-host Sheinelle Jones discovered she had a polyp on one of her vocal cords. After taking a brief break from her on-air duties at the time, the issue cleared up on its own — until it didn't. In February of 2020, Jones made a major announcement — she had a vocal cord lesion that now required surgery. In an honest moment on "Today," Jones admitted that she was finding a silver lining in having to take six weeks away from work, with two of them spent on total vocal rest. "It's a gift to sit still and do some soul searching," Jones said. "Nobody ever tells you you have permission to sit still." However, sitting still in complete silence doesn't sound like a walk in the park, either.

On February 24, 2020, Jones made a heartfelt Instagram post after her successful surgery. She detailed the way she felt taken care of by hospital staff, as well as realizing the surgery had "been a long time coming, and I've struggled off and on for so long." Realizing that the journey to recovery was just beginning, Jones acknowledged that "now the work begins to heal."

Luckily for Jones, she's not alone in this road to recovery. Another television personality has also undergone surgery on her vocal cords; in fact, it's what gave Rachael Ray her unique voice. It's a reminder that self-care can often come in many forms, and according to Jones, "this is self-care to the nth degree."

Though by then she already had the joy of welcoming oldest child Kayin, and twins Clara and Uche, Sheinelle Jones opened up about an earlier time in her life when she lost a pregnancy. Writing a personal essay for Today in 2021, Jones discussed the stigma many women face when dealing with fertility issues. Within it, she mentioned the overwhelming sense of needing to buckle down and push through with what many women experiencing pregnancy loss struggle. This is why she wrote the piece — not only to detail her own experience with miscarriage, but to open the conversation up to encourage more people to talk about their experiences.

After suffering a miscarriage while at a news networking event, Jones did go on to have her three healthy children and admitted, "I can't imagine my life being any different." Realizing she's certainly not alone, Jones decided to take action, going on to executive produce the documentary "Stories We Tell: The Fertility Secret." Not only does the film cover miscarriage, but it also brings up under-researched ailments like endometriosis and fibroids. Jones isn't the only celebrity speaking out about these issues; several have also gone on the record about their struggles with uterine health. For example, actress Gabrielle Union opened up about her infertility issues, and singer Jessie J also revealed her own pregnancy loss. It's a feat of strength to turn something so difficult into an opportunity to form community, and Jones is proving just how strong she is.

Sheinelle Jones clearly has so much love for her family, especially her grandparents. Unfortunately, one of the best examples of how much her heart has to hold for them came with the news that she lost her beloved grandfather. In a teary-eyed but professional on-air message to the viewers at home, the "Today" co-host announced in April 2022 that Dr. Val Jones had passed away, leaving behind a lasting legacy. As a doctor, her grandfather constantly worked for his community and shared a love for his family. Sheinelle divulged that Dr. Val and her grandmother "were married for 72 years." (Via Yahoo! News). "I'm so thankful for his life," Sheinelle continued, "My heart is heavy, but I am so thankful for the legacy he left."

On Valentine's Day 2023, Sheinelle made an endearing Instagram post providing more history and lore regarding her grandfather. Apparently, Dr. Val was born on Valentine's Day, "hence his name," Sheinelle wrote. In the bittersweet birthday post, Sheinelle admitted, "I miss him so, so much," and that "he's shining down on me ... from heaven." The loss of a loved one is always difficult, and it seems that Sheinelle really loved her grandfather; however, his loss was just one of many tragedies Sheinelle would have to shoulder.

In early 2025, fans of NBC's "Today" show began to grow concerned over the strange disappearance of Sheinelle Jones. On January 15, Craig Melvin and Savannah Guthrie possibly tried to avoid any more awkward "Today" moments by announcing that Jones was taking a leave of absence. "We know so many of you have been asking about Sheinelle," Guthrie said, continuing, "we miss her too" (Via E! News). While it was always assumed that Jones would return, her disappearance was clearly felt, to the point that Jones herself wrote a note about it. 

That same day, Jones made a post to Instagram thanking everyone who had taken the time to reach out to her. In a rather cryptic move, Jones referred to her time away as involving "a family health matter," but then reiterated how important everyone's support had been to her. "Your kindness means so much to me," she wrote. While it wasn't immediately clear what the major life event was that caused Jones to pull away, it did allow her to prioritize her family. It's something that ultimately proved to be a wise move once the private matter came to light in May 2025.

On May 23, 2025, the co-hosts of NBC's "Today" show sat down to tell viewers at home that Sheinelle Jones' husband, Uche Ojeh, had passed away. According to Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie was clearly devastated as she said, "There are no words for the pain we feel for Sheinelle and their three young children." Guthrie continued, saying, "Uche was an incredible person. We all loved him." Craig Melvin also chimed in regarding the love Ojeh had for his family. "He loved those kids more than anything else in this world, and was just so proud," Melvin said before continuing that Ojeh and Jones "had such a beautiful love story."

In her own post on Instagram, Jones shared a snippet of that same segment as well as the caption, "Thank you, for all of your love and support." Jones met Ojeh when he was touring Northwestern University. According to an Instagram post celebrating their anniversary, the couple officially got married in 2007 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ojeh is survived by Jones, as well as their three children, Kayin, Clara, and Uche. Judging by the many Instagram posts Jones has made detailing her love for Ojeh, he will be missed by his family and beyond.