{"id":2016768,"date":"2025-09-12T14:14:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T14:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2016768"},"modified":"2025-09-12T14:14:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T14:14:14","slug":"craig-melvin-recalls-inspiring-conversation-with-sheinelle-jones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/craig-melvin-recalls-inspiring-conversation-with-sheinelle-jones\/","title":{"rendered":"Craig Melvin Recalls Inspiring Conversation With Sheinelle Jones"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Today<\/em> show anchor Craig Melvin<\/strong><\/a> has been offering lots of encouragement to his \u201cbig sister\u201d and former cohost Sheinelle Jones<\/strong><\/a> as she mourns the loss of her husband, Uche Ojeh<\/strong>, who died in May.<\/p>\n

Melvin, 46, exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> about an uplifting recent conversation he had with Jones, 48, prior to her September 5 return to Today<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said to her a few months ago, I was like, \u2018God doesn\u2019t give us more than we can bear. You got this,\u2019\u201d Melvin recalled to Us<\/em>. \u201cYou coming back to work sends a message to all of those folks who watch and listen to us every day that grief is a process, but at the end of the day, you have to put one foot in front of the other, and you have to keep going. People are going to be able to look at you and see someone who is doing just that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones recently revealed<\/a> why she chose to keep her husband\u2019s cancer battle private from his diagnosis in November 2023 until his death, explaining that she had chosen \u201cthe spotlight\u201d while Ojeh had not.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>‘Today’ Hosts Get Emotional Over Sheinelle Jones’ Husband\u2019s Death<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tThe hosts of NBC\u2019s Today are sending their love to Sheinelle Jones after the unexpected death of her husband, Uche Ojeh. He was 45. \u201cWith profound sadness, we share this morning that Uche Ojeh, the husband of our dear friend and Today cohost Sheinelle Jones has passed away after a courageous battle with an aggressive [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cShe was like [an] atlas for a year and a half, carrying a family, caregiving for her husband, and up until several months ago, also working,\u201d Melvin continued. \u201cOur jobs are fairly demanding, and she was doing it and didn\u2019t really think a whole lot of it at the time until it was all over. So, yeah, I just had this conversation about an hour or two ago. I sat next to her longer than anyone else in my career. I mean, we cohosted Weekend Today<\/em> together and then the 3rd Hour<\/em>, and I sat next to her in some capacity for more than a decade.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melvin, Jones and Ojeh were all \u201cpretty good friends,\u201d Melvin told Us<\/em>. Last year, Ojeh even participated in Melvin\u2019s Bottoms Up Invitational<\/a> golf tournament, which is entering its fourth year. The tournament, which will be held Sunday, September 14 and Monday, September 15, is dedicated to the memory of Melvin\u2019s older brother, Lawrence<\/strong>, who died of colon cancer. The past three tournaments raised over $3 million for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. Melvin has been outspoken about his close work with the organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started this thing after my older brother died. He was 43 at the time, and he died from colorectal cancer, and he was diagnosed at 39. He was a Baptist minister, father of two and entrepreneur. And it really was a kick. It was a punch in the gut when he got the diagnosis,\u201d Melvin said. \u201cWhile he was alive, we started doing a fair amount of advocacy work with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance based in D.C., and it\u2019s America\u2019s largest charity devoted to ending colorectal cancer in our lifetime. It seemed like a natural fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melvin told Us<\/em> that when it became clear Lawrence was \u201cnot going to survive his cancer battle,\u201d his brother urged him to keep advocating for the cause.<\/p>\n

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