Kristin Cavallari revealed on her podcast that she recently said goodbye to her longtime German Shepherd, Kona, opening up about the emotional decision.
Sheinelle Jones is learning what it takes to be a working, grieving and single mom of three.
The 47-year-old “Today” show host is opening up about the mixed feelings she has since losing her husband, Uche Ojeh, who died in May after a year-long battle with glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer.
Sheinelle Jones’ husband was 45 years old at the time of his death.
"It's the life after where you really feel the loss,” she said in an interview with People, published Jan. 14.
READ MORE: Sheinelle Jones Shares Sign She Received from Late Husband After Accepting New Today Show Job
“My kids lost their dad at 13 and 16, but I try to tell them they got more in those years than some people get in a lifetime,” she told the outlet.
Jones, who met Ojeh while attending Northwestern University in the late-1990s before tying the knot in 2007, shares three kids — son Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche, 13 — with her late husband.
Jones went on to reveal that she wants her kids to carry Ojeh’s legacy “not with pain, but with power.”
“It hurts that this [loss] is happening to me, but it is excruciating that it’s happening to my kids. As a mom you just want to protect them from everything. This was the first thing I couldn’t fix,” she continued.
“When my kids and I look back, what mother do I want them to see? Who is the woman I want to be?” she added. “Being a single mom is really hard, but I’m proud of my kids for how we’re managing.”
Jones is still trying to adjust to life after her husband’s death, but she isn’t numb to the joy she still has.
“When I hear my kids laugh, I know they’re going to be okay. There’s joy there," she told People.
"And for me, going back to work, with all of those people surrounding me, I feel safe and loved, and I don’t have to pretend. My joy is real,” she added.
Sheinelle Jones credits her new role on TV for bringing joy
Jones’ interview with People comes two days after she made her debut on the “Today” show’s fourth hour.
The “Today” veteran, who has been with the show since 2014, was announced as the permanent co-host for “TODAY with Jenna and Sheinelle” on Dec. 9 and officially stepped into that role on Jan. 12.
But while her new role is a major source of joy, Jones said she’s still fighting through a lot when cameras aren’t rolling.
READ MORE: Sheinelle Jones opens up about husband’s death from cancer. ‘I found beauty in the nightmare’
“People see me on TV and they think ‘Oh, she’s better.’ It’s like, ‘Oh, no no. I’m not better.’ Every day, it’s like swimming through mud,” Jones told People.
“I’ve had to really do the work. Empathy is my superpower now, and I recognize that I hold two things: I hold my grief, and I also hold this joy,” she continued.
“I said it months ago, and I’ll say it now: I am fighting for my joy,” she added.
The new role comes four months after Jones returned to the “Today” show after a nine-month absence due to what she initially described as a “family health matter” in December 2024.
At the time of her return, Jones shared what she has learned through her emotional journey.
“Cancer doesn’t have to steal our joy,” she told Guthrie. “We can get up, we can get out of bed, and we can go to work. We can go to school. We can squeeze the most out of the days that we have.”
“And, honestly, I feel like Uche’s heartbeat lives on in mine,” she added.
Jones went on to say she’s not only proud of herself for how she has coped, but also proud of her kids.
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“Im proud of my kids for how we’ve been able to pull through, but it’s horrible,” she said of Ojeh’s death. “But I’m here, I’m breathing. I’m OK.”
