Today cohost Sheinelle Jones’ husband, Uche Ojeh, has died.
“With profound sadness, we share this morning that Uche Ojeh, the husband of our dear friend and Today cohost Sheinelle Jones has passed away after a courageous battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma,” Savannah Guthrie announced on the show on Friday, May 23. “There are no words for the pain that we feel for Sheinelle and their three young children. Uche was an incredible person. We all loved him.” (The couple shared son Kayin, 15, and twins Clara and Uche, 12.)
Jones, 46, has not appeared on-air on the NBC morning show since December 2024. Fans initially assumed her absence was due to Jones taking time off during the traditional holiday period.
When her absence continued into the following month and viewers began to ask questions and speculate about her whereabouts, Jones took to social media to briefly address the situation.
“Hi everybody … I sincerely appreciate all of you who have reached out while I’ve been absent from the show,” she wrote via Instagram on January 15. “I want to share with you that I’m taking time to deal with a family health matter.”
Although Jones has kept her family’s situation private, she wanted to thank viewers for their encouragement as she handles a situation away from cameras.
“It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to have not only the support of my Today show family, but to also have all of you,” she wrote. “Your kindness means so much to me. I’ll see you soon.”
As Jones’ absence stretched into months off air, Today’s meteorologist, Dylan Dreyer, shared an update on the news anchor.
“She’s doing all right,” Dreyer, 43, told E! News on May 3. “She’s hanging in there. We’re praying for her and her family. You know, she’s just going through a tough time with her family.”
The same month, Dreyer told Entertainment Tonight that she was keeping in touch with Jones amid her absence.
“We’re all very, very close. We chat with her often. A week doesn’t go by where we’re not checking in, seeing how she’s doing,” Dreyer told the outlet. “We pray for her all the time. We can’t wait for her to come back. We’re just waiting for that day to come.”
Jones also has the support of her fellow Today colleague Carson Daly, who was asked by Entertainment Tonight on May 1 when the journalist was expected to return to the show.
“I don’t know anything about when or timeline,” Daly, 51, told the outlet. “We talk about her probably every day and we’re wishing her well. She’s spending much needed time with her family. That’ll just take its course. There’s so much love going out to her.”
In addition to cohosting Today’s 3rd hour with Al Roker, Craig Melvin and Dreyer, Jones also serves as an executive producer of MSNBC’s Stories We Tell: The Fertility Secret.
