BREAKING: TODAY has OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED Jenna Bush Hager’s permanent co-host nearly a year after Hoda Kotb left the show
Jenna broke the big news on air on Tuesday, December 9, smiling through happy tears.
“The moment we’ve all been waiting for, please welcome my new co-host, Sheinelle Jones!” Jenna said as Sheinelle walked out onto the set, holding back tears. “Sit here, this is your chair! I knew I was going to cry before I even walked out!”
“A year ago at this time, it was tough for me. A year ago at this time, I decided that I should step back and be with my husband,” Sheinelle said as she broke down in tears. “We were in a fight, and you couldn’t write this script.”
“Your kids must be so proud of you, for your strength, for your grace, for showing up for them day after day,” Jenna said.
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“They were so happy for me,” Sheinelle said of her new position.
“There was so much joy in our house. And we needed that joy. When I came back from leave, I talked about fighting for my joy. And this is what it looks like.
“It feels divine. It feels like Uche is up there with God, he’s Mr. Competitive, saying, ‘Let’s make this happen for Sheinelle.’
“Let’s go be with not my friend, but my sister.”
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The fourth hour is now renamed Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, and the new show will officially kick off on January 12.
According to the Today website, Sheinelle will no longer be a host during Today’s third hour.
Craig Melvin, Al Roker and Dylan Dreyer will remain as hosts at 9 am et.
SHEINELLE’S TOUGH JOURNEY
Sheinelle has been back to work after taking months off to cope with the tragic death of her husband, Uche Ojeh.
“My heart is shattered. My heart is shattered in a million pieces. The life that I’ve known since I was 19 is no more,” she said in September during her first Today appearance since the previous December.
Tragically, Uche died from brain cancer in May at just 45, leaving behind Sheinelle and their three children: her 16-year-old son Kayin and 13-year-old twins, Clara and Uche.
She officially returned to work on September 5, claiming she was ready to resume her professional life.
“So if you see me now, you see me laughing and 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 explained.
THE U.S. SUN TOLD YOU FIRST
The U.S. Sun first reported that Sheinelle would eventually be taking over for Hoda earlier this year in February.
“Sheinelle has the job,” the source said. “They need someone who can throw to break, someone who knows the craft of making TV work, and Sheinelle is a pro.”
The source said Sheinelle’s Today colleagues were “extremely supportive” of her time off as she helped care for her late husband, and then coped with her and her children’s grief after his death.
“They want an adult in the room, someone who has TV in their bones, and Sheinelle has been on TV since she was 19,” another insider said in September, insisting Sheinelle still had the job when she was ready to tackle the challenge.
HODA’S NEW PATH
Beloved host Hoda left Today in January to spend more time at home with her young daughters.
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She had been pulling double duty, hosting alongside Savannah Guthrie at the main desk, and sitting next to Jenna during the fourth hour.
She still makes frequent guest appearances on the show, and even helped host the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade last month with Savannah and Al.
