Sheinelle Jones has been taking time off from Today to deal with a deeply personal matter off screen. Her Today costars have been nothing but supportive amid her hiatus from the show.
When Was the Last Time Sheinelle Jones Was on ‘Today’?
Sheinelle last appeared on Today during the December 18, 2024, episode of the show. In the weeks that followed, several other NBC faces filled in for her at the news desk. Fans began to question what happened to Sheinelle, leading her to speak out in a statement shared on Instagram on January 15, 2025.
“Hi everybody … I sincerely appreciate all of you who have reached out while I’ve been absent from the show,” she wrote. “I want to share with you that I’m taking time to deal with a family health matter.”
“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. Your kindness means so much to me,” she added. “I’ll see you soon. Love, Sheinelle.”
That same day, Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin addressed Sheinelle’s ongoing absence from Today during an episode of the morning talk show.
“We know so many of you have been asking about Sheinelle, and missing her, and we miss her, too,” Savannah told viewers.
“Sheinelle, we all love you, and we are so looking forward to having you back,” Craig chimed in.
“We’ll see you soon,” Savannah said.
Dylan Dreyer, Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones
A source later told People that the family health matter was “serious.”
“Sheinelle appreciates the support she’s received from fans and viewers in her absence,” the source told the outlet. “She’s especially grateful for her tight-knit Today show family and cohosts, for all their love during a sensitive time.”
Sheinelle Jones Lost Husband Uche Ojeh to Brain Cancer
On May 23, 2025, it was announced on Today that Sheinelle’s husband, Uche Ojeh, had died from an aggressive form of brain cancer. They shared three children together, Kayin, Uche and Clara.
“There are no words for the pain that we feel for Sheinelle and their three young children,” Savannah said. “Uche was an incredible person. We all loved him.”
“We are with you. We love you. You are our family. We are just sending all of our love to you right now,” Savannah added.
The other cohosts shared memories of Uche and expressed their grief for Sheinelle and her family during this difficult time.
“One thing he always talked about, he talked about those kids,” Craig said. “He loved those kids more than anything else in this world, and was just so proud. He was that dad that was on the sideline at every soccer game. He was at all of the concerts, and the recitals. He was that guy.”
Sheinelle broke her silence on Instagram following her husband’s death, sharing a clip from the show and writing, “Thank you, for all of your love and support.”
Dylan Dreyer and More ‘Today’ Costars Spoke Out in Sheinelle Jones’ Absence
Dylan Dreyer was just one of Sheinelle’s Today colleagues who publicly spoke out about supporting Sheinelle prior to Uche’s death.
“We chat with her often. A week doesn’t go by where we’re not checking in, seeing how she’s doing,” the meteorologist told Entertainment Tonight in April 2025. “We pray for her all the time, we can’t wait for her to come back, so we’re just waiting for that day to come.”
Al Roker also shared some kind words for Sheinelle and her family, saying, “The fact of the matter is, we’re so grateful to all the fans and viewers who’ve been praying for her and praying for her family and [she’s] just taking it one day at a time.”
Carson Daly told the outlet that he didn’t “know anything about when or timeline [for her return], but we always think about her.”
“We talk about her probably every day. We’re wishing her well and she’s spending much-needed time with her family and that’ll just take its course. And there’s so much love going out to her,” the Voice host said.