Hoda Kotb Has Emotional Reunion with Sheinelle Jones on “Today ”After the Death of Her Husband: 'She’s Changing Lives'

Hoda Kotb took a locomotion down representation lane arsenic she returned to Today on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

The erstwhile Today co-anchor, 61, reunited pinch her erstwhile colleagues and friends successful nan studio, including Sheinelle Jones, 8 months aft departing nan greeting show.

Jones, 47, mislaid her hubby Uche Ojeh successful May. He died aft he was diagnosed pinch an fierce shape of encephalon crab called Glioblastoma. He was 45.

While speaking pinch Savannah Guthrie, Willie Geist, Jenna Bush Hager, Craig Melvin, and Al Roker, Kotb praised her longtime friend pursuing nan decease of her husband.

"I conscionable said this to Sheinelle, she’s changing lives conscionable by being precisely who she is," Kotb said.

Kotb continued, "Three of my friends called instantly aft you guys were talking and said that they felt everlastingly changed aft listening to that conversation. So I was saying, you don’t person to make immoderate effort. Just be. And you’re doing what you’re doing."

"So anyway, I emotion you," she added. "That was amazing."

Jones — who joined nan network in 2014 and has been a changeless crossed each of Today's programming — first stepped distant from nan Today show successful December 2024.

The journalist addressed her absence successful an Instagram post on Jan. 15, explaining that she was taking "time to woody pinch a family wellness matter." Though she didn't disclose circumstantial specifications astatine nan time, an insider told PEOPLE nan business was "serious" but didn't interest Jones aliases their children.

On May 23, Jones' Today cohosts yet shed ray connected nan business arsenic they revealed Ojeh had died pursuing a travel pinch encephalon cancer. Jones later posted a clip of nan conception connected her Instagram and wrote, "Thank you, for each your emotion and support," but did not speak retired further astir nan loss.

That each changed connected Sept. 5 erstwhile she made her return to nan Today show and sat down pinch Guthrie, 53, for an affectional conversation astir her husband's decease and her grieving process.

"My bosom is shattered successful a cardinal pieces," Jones said. "The life that I've known since I was 19 is nary more. I've ever wanted kids. I utilized to dream of having kids. I utilized to put pictures up of kids, successful my room and my friends would beryllium like, you're weird, you don't cognize those kids, and I would laugh. I person 3 kids of my ain now, and they've mislaid their dada and I'm their mom."

Jones, who shares boy Kayin, 15, and twins Clara and Uche, 12 pinch Ojeh, said she takes her symptom "day to day," but added, "It's horrible. It's conscionable horrible."

Returning to Today was besides intentional connected Jones' part, arsenic she explained really she wants it to service arsenic an inspiration to others successful akin situations.

"Cancer doesn't person to bargain our joy. We tin get up, we tin get retired of bed, and we tin spell to work, we tin spell to school, we tin compression nan astir retired of nan days that we have. And honestly, I consciousness for illustration Uche's heartbeat lives connected successful mine," she said. "So I beryllium it to him to conscionable compression nan astir I tin retired of this thing."

"We tin grieve but we tin besides still effort to move forward. We don't move on, but we move guardant pinch our loved ones. And I dream that conscionable by maine being connected nan group and maine returning to work, it's like, 'Okay, if I tin do it, truthful tin you,' " she continued.

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In nan precocious '90s, Jones and Ojeh crossed paths during their clip arsenic students astatine Northwestern University. After making love for 8 years, he projected connected nan field of their alma mater successful nan mediate of a rainstorm, catching her by surprise. Jones and Ojeh joined successful 2007.