NBC announced Tuesday that Today show host Sheinelle Jones will be permanently be joining Jenna Bush Hager in the fourth hour of the ‘Today” show’s morning programming at 10:00 am. Jones, a longtime co-host of 3rd Hour of Today with Dylan Dreyer, Al Roker, and Craig Melvin, has been a member of the Today franchise since 2014. Sheinelle will be stepping away from the 3rd Hour of Today, while Melvin, Roker, and Dreyer remain co-hosts of the 9 a.m. show.
Jones will be officially replacing Hoda Kotb, who departed the fourth-hour show ‘Today with Hoda & Jenna’ back in January. Since Kotb’s departure, Hager has had a rotating cast of over 60 celebrities and TV personalities joining her to co-host on the show, which was rebranded as ‘Jenna & Friends.’ With the addition of Jones, the network revealed that the show will now be called ‘Today with Jenna & Sheinelle,’ launching on Monday, January 12, 2026.
Hager shared on Tuesday’s episode: “Today I’m so thrilled to announce that I’ve found my forever friend and we’re gonna start a brand new journey in January. I couldn’t be more excited to share this person with you all. You all know her, she’s an extraordinary broadcaster. But more importantly, she exemplifies exactly what this show is all about.”
Jones had taken a leave of absence in January from the “Today’ show due to her husband Uche Ojeh’s illness and death from brain cancer in May; she just recently returned to the network in September. She said to Bush Hager: “To have a show like this is beyond my wildest dreams. This is the real deal, and I get to do it with Jenna.” She added that she told her three kids, Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche Jr., both 13, and shared: “So Kay was in the school library and I went and got wine and I gave [the twins] water and I said, ‘Guys, we have to take a selfie.’ And they were so happy for me. There was so much joy in our house and we needed that joy.”
Today Executive Vice President Libby Leist and executive producer Talia Parkinson-Jones called the news “an exciting new chapter for the fourth hour. Jenna and Sheinelle are two extraordinary talents who have grown within the ranks of ‘Today.’ They are beloved for their authenticity, warmth and genuine connection with our Today audience. Sheinelle has been a cherished member of NBC News for more than 11 years. From standout interviews with newsmakers and celebrities to her iconic Halloween performances as Beyoncé and Tina Turner, she has captivated audiences time and again.”
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