Today‘s Sheinelle Jones will be the new permanent co-host alongside Jenna Bush Hager in the fourth hour of the show, following longtime host Hoda Kotb’s departure earlier this year.
When is Sheinelle Jones joining Jenna Bush Hager for their new show?
On Monday, NBC announced that Jones would join Bush Hager for Today‘s 10 a.m. hour, and Today With Jenna & Sheinelle will launch on Monday, Jan. 12, Us Weekly reported.
“This marks an exciting new chapter for the fourth hour,” Today executives said in a statement obtained by Us Weekly. “Jenna and Sheinelle are two extraordinary talents who have grown within the ranks of Today. They are beloved for their authenticity, warmth and genuine connection with our Today audience.”
Jones, 47, and Bush Hager, 44, also announced the new show on Tuesday’s episode of Jenna & Friends.
Why did Hoda Kotb leave the show?
As Blavity’s Shadow and Act reported, Kotb first announced her exit after more than five years as one of the show’s leading anchors. When explaining why she decided to leave, Kotb said her 60th birthday inspired her to make some significant changes in her life.
“I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new,” she said during a broadcast. “I remembered standing outside looking at these beautiful bunch of people with these gorgeous signs, and I thought, ‘This is what the top of the wave feels like for me.’ And I thought it can’t get better, and I decided that this is the right time for me to kind of move on.”
Kotb’s last day on The Today Show was Jan. 10. Since then, the show has had many fill-ins and guest hosts until the network could find a permanent replacement to work with Bush Hager.
Jones’ career, leave of absence and late husband’s death
Jones first joined the popular morning show as the co-host of Weekend Today in 2014. She later became the co-host of the third hour in 2019, working alongside Dylan Dreyer and Craig Melvin.
Jones initially took a leave of absence from work in late 2024. In January, she announced on Instagram that she would be taking an extended leave due to a family-related matter.
“Hi everybody…I sincerely appreciate all of you who have reached out while I’ve been absent from the show. I want to share with you that I’m taking time to deal with a family health matter,” she wrote on the platform. “It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to have not only the support of my Today show family, but also to all of you. Your kindness means so much to me. I’ll see you soon. Love, Sheinelle.”
It was later revealed that Jones’ late husband, Uche Ojeh, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He battled the disease for some time but died in May.
After four months, Jones returned to The Today Show, and an emotional pre-taped interview with Samantha Gunthrie also aired on the network. She opened up about her 18-year marriage to Ojeh, their three children, and how she and her family have coped since his death, per Blavity.
“It’s a beautiful nightmare,” Jones said after returning to the show, per the New York Post. “My heart is shattered in a million pieces. The life that I’ve known since I was 19 is no more.”
“I’ve always wanted kids and I have three kids of my own now and they’ve lost their dad,” she added. “And I’m their mom. It sucks.”
Jones, being the new co-host with Bush Hager, was “the plan all along,” a source familiar with the matter told the New York Post. “But they had to wait and see how she was when she got back.”