Originally appeared on E! Online
Sheinelle Jones had three very special visitors pop into Studio 1A.
During the April 14 episode of Today With Jenna & Sheinelle, Sheinelle was surprised on air by her and late husband Uche Ojeh’s three kids: 16-year-old son Kayin and 13-year-old twins Clara and Uche Jr.
The teens appeared in the studio to celebrate the release of Sheinelle’s new book, Through Mom’s Eyes—and it’s safe to say there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
Jenna Bush Hager had the pleasure of unveiling the sweet surprise, telling her co-host, “We couldn’t celebrate this book or this day without the three people [to] whom you dedicated. So Kayin, Clara and Uche, come on out.”
After her kids came out on stage holding a massive bouquet of flowers, they shared a warm embrace with their mom before each taking turns speaking about her.
“Words can’t even describe it. I’m so happy for you, Mom,” Kayin told Sheinelle as she grew emotional. “You’ve worked on this since quarantine. We’ve had the ups and downs.”
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“We’ve obviously gone through so much,” he added, “and I’m so happy for you.”
Uche Jr. highlighted his mom’s best attributes, saying, “I feel like her compassion and kindness to everybody she’s around just has such a great effect on everybody.”
TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle/YouTube
And Clara presented her mom with a framed quote in the style of her book cover that she lives by—which made Sheinelle grow even more teary.
“Oh my goodness,” the 47-year-old said. “How special is this?”
Indeed, the moment was extra meaningful considering Sheinelle had been working on this book for several years. In the midst of her writing process, her husband—who she married in 2007—was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer.
This led to Sheinelle taking some time off from Today to spend time with her family. Just four months later in May 2025, Uche died.
Since then, the TV personality hasn’t been shy about sharing details of her grief journey. In fact, she recently admitted how difficult it is to carry on like normal while raising three young kids.
“People see me on TV and they think ‘Oh, she’s better,'” she told People in January. “It’s like, ‘Oh, no no. I’m not better.’ Every day, it’s like swimming through mud.”
“Even just to do normal things, to get up and brush your teeth, go to work, have the kids go to school, get dinner on the table, whatever it is, doing that when you’re grieving is very difficult,” she continued. “I really had to do that work. I recognize that I hold two things: I hold my grief and I also hold this joy. I said it months ago, and I’ll say it now: I am fighting for my joy.”
And part of the way she’s doing that these days is through her new book, which details life lessons from the moms of celebrities including Lady Gaga, Matthew McConaughey and Steph Curry.
“It truly is my love letter to mothers,” Sheinelle wrote on Instagram after announcing her book. “I hope you love it.”
As Sheinelle celebrates her latest accomplishment, take a look back at her and Uche’s sweetest family moments.
Life Partners
Sheinelle Jones often spoke about how she met her husband Uche Ojeh while giving him a tour of campus at Northwestern University when she was just 19.
As Savannah Guthrie noted in Today’s May 23 tribute to the consultant, he was a “remarkable man who was Sheinelle’s perfect partner in life.”
Dedicated to Faith
Throughout his battle with glioblastoma, the Today anchors emphasized that Uche was devoted to his faith as well as his Nigerian heritage. In a post from 2021, Sheinelle shared that all three of their kids dressed in “native Nigerian wear” for their baptism.
That Guy
As the father of kids Kayin, and younger twins Clara and Uche Jr., Uche put his family first.
“He loved those kids more than anything else in this world,” Craig Melvin emphasized in Today’s tribute. “He was just so proud. He was that dad that was on the sidelines of every soccer game, all of the concerts, recitals. He was that guy.”
A “Humble Man”
During Today’s broadcast, Al Roker noted that while Uche was quiet, he was “wickedly funny,” adding, “He was a humble man.”
Biggest Supporter
In a birthday tribute to Uche in 2021, Sheinelle emphasized that her late husband was always by her side.
“When I put in his picture and click ‘search’ on my iPhone … pretty much ALL of the pics, are of him by my side,” she explained on Instagram. “And/or helping the kids with homework, music or soccer lessons. I am truly thankful to be on this journey with such a beautiful human being.”
Going the Distance
In the Today segment honoring Uche, Savannah emphasized that Sheinelle and Uche overcame obstacles including long distance to make their romance work. And for Sheinelle, it was all worth it. As she wrote in a tribute post to Uche in 2022, “You caught my eye when I was 19 years old …. and here we are.”
Warriors
Amid their hardest battle together, Savannah emphasized that both Sheinelle and Uche were “warriors.”
As Savannah emphasized, Uche was “a man whose joyful spirit and quiet strength complemented Sheinelle in every way.”
Saying Goodbye
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