Sheinelle Jones has endured unspeakable tragedy and showed incredible resilience in the past year.
And those who know her best say that her strength is exactly what makes her a perfect fit as Jenna Bush Hager’s co-host.
Yes, as of Monday morning Today With Jenna & Friends becomes Today With Jenna & Sheinelle.
And the longtime friends and colleagues say they couldn’t be more excited to begin this new chapter together.
This is the first time that Jenna will have a permanent co-host since Hoda Kotb stepped away in January of 2025.
And while we’re sure Jenna enjoyed working with a rotating cast of celebrity sidekicks, she says she thrilled about being permanently partnered with Sheinelle.
Speaking with USA Today, the former first daughter gushed about Jones:
“Sheinelle’s a pro. She’s been a journalist for 30+ years, and that’s important. We’re doing a television show. But also, she has the most open heart,” Jenna said, adding:
“She’s not afraid to talk about things that all of us are feeling, and that’s somebody that I want to be partnered with. I want somebody who’s going to come to work as they are and share who they are with me, with you, with our audience.
“And that is what I’m most looking forward to, is the purity of her heart and that she’s not scared to share it with everybody — the beautiful and the heartbreaking.”
Jones lost her husband, Uche Ojeh, to brain cancer in May of last year.
After stepping away from Today to grieve with her family, the mother of two returned to the show in September, forever changed by her experiences.
“I am looking forward to getting to know myself in ways that perhaps I haven’t explored,” Jones told Today. “I can’t help but to be changed by the last 18 months of my life.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Jenna opened up about her heartbreak at Hoda’s decision to step away from the show.
“I felt terrible because the first word was, ‘No,’” Bush Hager recalls. “I was like, ‘No! No!’ Because it was shocking. It really was. We were having so much fun.”
Jenna says that at first there was anxiety among the Today team, as the future of the franchise seemed uncertain.
“We were definitely nervous and wondering what this process would be like,” Bush Hager says.
“I like working as a team − I mean, I’m a twin. So to me, playing off somebody, knowing that I can lift somebody up and vice versa, is important to me.”
Thankfully, in their search for a suitable replacement, producers didn’t even need to leave the set. Congrats to Sheinelle on her exciting new gig!