Sheinelle Jones explains how ‘Wicked: For Good’ inspired her to do her first sit-down interview since husband’s passing

For her first sit-down interview since losing her husband, journalist Sheinelle Jones brought her daughter, Clara, to work.

Sheinelle Jones is learning how to move through the world with both grace and grief, and this week, she learned another lesson while walking down the yellow brick road. 

The “Today Show”  journalist sat down with “Wicked: For Good” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande during the film’s London premiere. Beyond experiencing the magic of the highly anticipated film, Jones revealed that the interview was extra special, as she not only brought her daughter along for the trip but also celebrated her first sit-down interview since her husband’s passing earlier this year. 

“I couldn’t think of two better ladies to connect with, and jump back into doing sit-down interviews again,” she shared in an Instagram post reflecting on the interview. “And Clara got to see her mom stay up late the night before – preparing, before our beautiful conversation.” 

On May 23, 2025, Jones lost her husband, Uche Ojeh, 45, to brain cancer. Since then, the journalist has been gradually making her way back to work, and she revealed how “Wicked: For Good” inspired her in this journey. 

“You guys both know that I am grieving, right? And I carry two things everywhere I go. I move forward, but I’m also grieving,” she told Grande and Erivo.  “When I went in the theater to see this movie, it was transcendent for me in a way that I didn’t know I needed.”

She continued: “To see these characters be strong and brave and vulnerable. And I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Okay, if these women can do this on the screen, so can I in my own way.’ I can be strong and courageous and brave and not just your characters, but who you are as women in real life.”

Earning emotional reactions from both stars, this marked one of the Jones’ many candid moments about grief. In September, four months after her husband passed, the journalist explained how every day is an intentional fight. 

“If you see me now and you see me laughing, or you turn on the morning show and I’m laughing or having a good time, you root for me because I’m fighting for my joy,” Jones explained.