Sheinelle Jones on grief after husband’s passing: ‘I’m fighting for my joy’

On Friday, Sheinelle Jones returns to co-hosting the third hour of ‘Today’ after her husband Uche Ojeh’s death in May.

Sheinelle Jones is opening up about the “beautiful nightmare” she’s endured since her husband Uche Ojeh, died of cancer on May 23.

On Friday, Sept. 5, during an extended sit-down with her “Today” show co-host, Savannah Guthrie—which marked her return after nearly a year—the 47-year-old anchor delved into how she’s been navigating the difficult time.

“My heart is shattered in a million pieces,” Jones said. “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. And I’m their mom. It sucks.”

Jones returned to her chair as co-host of the third hour of “Today” after stepping away in December 2024 to focus on her family during her husband’s illness. Ojeh had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, and died on May 23, 2025. He was 45. 

The two first met as undergraduates at Northwestern University, fell in love, and went on to build a life together that included nearly twenty years of marriage and three children: son, Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche, 13.

While speaking with Guthrie, Jones said she’s speaking out now because she wanted to protect Ojeh’s privacy during his battle. She also described the past year of her life and losing her husband as “a beautiful nightmare.” 

What she meant, she said, was that alongside the heartache were moments of extraordinary tenderness. Nurses had nicknamed them “the lovebirds,” as they often sat hand-in-hand in the hospital. Some days, when it was just the two of them, Jones said she was reminded of their college years—young, in love, and inseparable.

“I found beauty in the nightmare,” she continued. “And trust me, it is a nightmare to watch a 45-year-old do two triathlons and live and breathe off of soccer as kids, to take a guy like that and watch him have to deal with this fight was a nightmare. But the way he fought it and the way we rallied together and the way we saw the best of humanity, that was beautiful.”

But through all the pain and sadness, Jones made clear that she does not want the grief or cancer to rob her of joy. She noted how some may notice her lean into joy, which she swore was not her “faking it.” 

“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,” she told viewers.