Hoda Kotb shared an emotional moment with Sheinelle Jones when she made her Today Show return during the Tuesday, September 9, episode.
After leaving the show as an anchor in January, Kotb, 61, made her return to the show to celebrate a local PE teacher with a workout on the show’s plaza in New York City. She was joined by her former colleagues outside, and fan noticed that she gave Jones, 47, a big hug when they said hello.
“I just said to Sheinelle, she’s changing lives just by being exactly who she is,” Kotb said to the crowd before she referenced Jones’ recent sit-down talk with co-host Savannah Guthrie on the September 5 episode, in which she discussed the death of her late husband, Uche Ojeh. “Three of my friends called immediately after you guys were talking and said that they felt forever changed after listening to that conversation.”
She then directly told Jones, “You don’t have to make any effort. Just be and you’re doing what you’re doing. I love you.”
During her conversation with Guthrie, 53, Jones opened up about her grieving process for the first time since Ojeh died from brain cancer at the age of 45 in May.
“It just felt like we always kind of had it,” she said of their marriage. “And when he was dying, I would say, ‘This sucks, and this is scary, but if you ask me if this was going to be my fate, I would do it all over again.’”
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Following Ojeh’s passing, Jones temporarily stepped away from the Today Show in January to focus on her family. Meanwhile, the September 5 episode marked her first official day back.
“We don’t move on, but we move forward with our loved ones,” Jones continued of the grieving process. “I hope that just by me being on the set and me returning to work, it’s like, ‘OK, if I can do it, so can you, right?’”
While Jones’ break from the show was only temporary, Kotb announced she was leaving the morning show after 17 years in September 2024 and her last episode as a full-time anchor aired in January.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 9, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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