Shienelle Jones breaks silence on husband Uche Ojeh’s death in ‘Today’ show return

Sheinelle Jones returned to the “Today” show Friday more than four months after her husband, Uche Ojeh, died after battling brain cancer.

She candidly detailed the “horrible” loss that has left her “heart shattered into a million pieces” during a pre-taped interview with Savannah Guthrie on Friday.

“It sucks,” the 47-year-old said tearfully. “It’s day to day. I’m proud of myself for how I’ve coped so far. I’m proud of my kids for how they’ve been able to try to pull through.”

Jones, who has “found beauty in the nightmare,” was absent from the popular NBC broadcast after her co-workers announced that Ojeh was diagnosed with brain cancer and passed away in May. He was 45.

She acknowledged on Friday that while the experience had been “scary” and her “heart still hurts,” she is “fighting for [her] joy” and would repeat their love story “all over again” knowing the ending.

Jones admitted, “There are times where if I could just stay in bed … it would be amazing, but I can’t do that because I have three little beings who are watching me.”

After the touching pre-taped interview, she appeared at her colleagues’ sides to call them her “oxygen” and say, “I did all my cries yesterday so that today I could just be fully present and try to receive the love and not be a ball of tears here. … I tried to fortify myself, and I’ll cry later.”

When news broke of Jones’ loss in May, Guthrie said, “With profound sadness, we share this morning that Uche Ojeh has passed away after a courageous battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma.

“There are no words for the pain we feel for Sheinelle and her three young children,” the 53-year-old continued while sobbing. “Uche was an incredible person, and we all loved him.”

 Craig Melvin also broke down in tears over Jones’ late husband, while Al Roker remembered Ojeh as  “wickedly funny” and “humble.”

In late 2024, Jones took an extended leave of absence from the morning show as Ojeh privately battled his illness.

This week, her co-stars announced the exciting news that Jones would finally be returning to the set.

“Our beloved Sheinelle will be returning to the show,” Guthrie told viewers, adding, “She and her family have been through so much after the devastating loss of her husband, Uche.

Guthrie shared that she and Jones sat down for an emotional interview that would be shown upon her return.

“We recently sat down together. We shared a really personal conversation, talking about how she has carried on and found the strength these past few months,” Guthrie said.

“We cannot wait to welcome Sheinelle home, right where she belongs, right here in our studio, Studio 1A on Friday,” she added.

Jones and her late husband tied the knot in 2007 and shared three kids: Kayin, 16, and 13-year-old twins Clara and Uche.