Sheinelle Jones made an emotional return to the TODAY Show for a heartfelt interview with Savannah Guthrie during Friday’s episode.The NBC star opened up about how she and her children are coping with the loss of her husband, Uche Ojeh, who passed away in May. The first clip of the emotion-packed interview was aired at the top of TODAY, where Sheinelle said: "My heart is shattered into a million pieces. The life that I've known since I was 19, is no more. I don't run away from crying anymore when it comes to grief. I see it as, 'Ok, here comes my cleansing rain,' and it's ok."
During the interview, Sheinelle spoke about her grieving process. "I'm proud of myself of how I've coped so far, I'm proud of my kids for how we've been able to pull through, but it's horrible. But I'm here and breathing, and I'm ok." Savannah then asked the NBC star what she meant when she referred to her life as a "beautiful nightmare". "It felt scary, it felt divine, it felt bigger than us. But at the end of the day, when we shut the door, it was just us…We would just hold hands, nurses would come in and call us the love birds… that's what I meant by beautiful nightmare because I found beauty in the nightmare," replied Sheinelle.
© NBC"So many people see you on TV and see that bright, beautiful smile and had no idea that you and Uche had been fighting this battle for a long time," said Savannah. "The people who knew would say, 'You're doing such a good job at faking it.' And it really bothered me because I thought I'm not faking it. My joy is real. I was on television for almost a year. I would do the show and then hop in the car and be with him during chemo," responded Sheinelle.
She continued: "We would of been married 18 years this month and it just felt like we always kind of had it. And when he was dying, I would say, 'This sucks and it's scary', but if you asked me this would be my fate, I'd do it all over again....I thought grief was linear, there would be a day I'd be ok…What i've told my kids is that rain can't last forever and sometimes I look up at the rain and let it be a cleansing rain. So I don't run away from crying anymore when it comes to grief, I see it as here comes my cleansing rain. I don't fear it anymore. Grief is just love with no place to go."
© NBCSheinelle also spoke about returning to her hosting duties on TODAY, four months after the passing of her husband. "I am still me and that's why I'm here. I'll stop searching for a me and just be me," she admitted. "And I hope that just being on this set and returning to work If i can do it so can you. My heart still hurts so if you see me now and see me laughing… you root for me because i'm fighting for my joy."
When they announced Sheinelle would be making her return, Savannah said: “She and her family have been through so much after the devastating loss of her husband Uche, and 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." "She calls this experience a beautiful nightmare, and she has thoughts on grief that are so touching, she’s got a special message of hope for anybody facing their own struggles, and we will share that with you, and we cannot wait to welcome Sheinelle back home, right where she belongs.”
© NBCUche's death
Uche died at the age of 45 from an aggressive form of brain cancer called Glioblastoma. The mother-of-three took to Instagram to share the "heartbreaking" news that was announced via an episode of the TODAY Show on May 23. Co-anchors Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin, Al Roker, Carson Daly, Dylan Dreyer, and Jenna Bush Hager gathered round the studio during the live broadcast to deliver the tragic update.
"There are no words for the pain we feel for Sheinelle and their three young children. Uche was an incredible person," Savannah told viewers. "We all loved him. And so we want to take a moment to tell you more about the remarkable man who was Sheinelle’s perfect partner in life." "He loved those kids more than anything else in this world, and was just so proud," added Craig. "He was that dad that was on the sideline of every soccer game. He was at all of the concerts and the recitals. He was that guy."
Uche and Sheinelle were married for 18 years and share three children – son Kayin, 15, and fraternal twins Clara and Uche, 12. Sheinelle had been absent from the show since January 2025 when she said she would be taking time off due to a family health matter. NBC meteorologist Dylan gave TODAY fans an update on her Third Hour co-star during an interview with Access Hollywood in August.
© Getty Images"You know, she's in 'mom mode' right now. She has three young kids that she has to care for. It's a really tough time for the family," she shared. "We're all there to support her in any way we can, and she's just taking the time she needs to spend with those kids."
The couple first met at Northwestern University in the late '90s, where Uche was earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science. Sheinelle's husband worked as a managing partner at UAO Consulting.
