During Sheinelle Jones‘ first official day as co-host of “Today With Jenna & Sheinelle,” former co-hosts Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford surprised viewers with a special reunion on the popular morning news show, giving Jones’ new role a memorable start.
Decked out in Team USA gear, Kotb and Gifford passed the “torch,” or, more accurately, an oversized wine glass, to the new fourth-hour duo Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones.
Watch Kotb & Gifford’s Special Reunion
“It is our first official day together,” began Hager, “and right now, Sheinelle and I have no idea what’s about to happen.”
Jones gestures ahead. “They said just read from the prompter, so here we go.” She goes on to explain that their producers wanted to celebrate the premiere of the new fourth hour by passing the torch.
As music begins to swell, the program shows a live clip of Kotb walking outside the studio holding the “torch,” causing Hager and Jones to burst into delightful laughter, with Jones putting her hands to her heart. Just then, the new duo are surprised to see Gifford join Kotb.
Jones expresses how “sweet” this is just before Kotb and Gifford make their grand appearance inside, surrounded by smoke. Kotb places the giant wine glass down on the table before the four embrace in a truly adorable moment.
Gifford jokes with an emotional Jones not to ruin her makeup as she starts to tear up.
The four take their seats, with Jones patting her eyes with a tissue. “Can we just say how awesome you two look together?” says Kotb. “How amazing this day already is. Y’all look so sweet together.”
“She was like, ‘I shouldn’t be crying,'” Hager tells them of her co-host. “I’m like, ‘You’re at the right spot if you’re crying.'”
And Hoda agrees. “And you’re also next to the biggest crier I’ve ever met ever: Jenna Bush Hager.”
“First of all, you invented the genre, you really did,” Jones says of Gifford. “I used to watch and I used to say I was a news girl and I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I can do that.'”
“When I got the job, [I said to you], ‘Just so you know, I see you, and I know you were a trailblazer in the genre.’ And you were like, ‘Oh, I know,'” concludes Jones.
The crew took time to share sweet words with one another, too.
“This is learning, by the way, at the seat of the master,” Kotb says later on, referring to her former co-host. “This is how it works. I learned from this girl, and then I was scared to go off on my own, and then I met this girl [Hager], and I was so proud the day you walked out—I’ll never forget it. And now you are welcoming this girl [Jones].”
Hager thanks Kotb and Gifford. “Well, y’all built the institution, and we love both of you. You’ve been so generous.”
When Did Jones First Join ‘Today’?
GettyAccording to E! News, Jones interned at an NBC affiliate in Wichita, then cold-called BET Networks until they agreed to give her an unpaid summer internship. Then, Jones worked at an NBC affiliate in Springfield, Ill. before taking a job as an evening news anchor and reporter at a Fox station in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Next, Jones had a nine-year stint at Fox’s Emmy-winning “Good Day Philadelphia” before she joined “Weekend Today” in 2014.
Following “Weekend Today,” Jones joined the weekday broadcasts in 2019, according to NBC. Beginning in December 2024, she took a leave of absence to care for her husband Uche Ojeh, who passed away of cancer in May 2025. The anchor returned to “Today” four months later.
During the first episode of “Today with Jenna & Sheinelle,” Jones reflected on her latest career achievement and celebrating with her three kids: Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche, 13.
“There was so much joy on our house and we needed that joy,” Jones admitted. “When I came back from leave, I talked about fighting for my joy. This is what it looks like. It feels divine. It feels like, you know, Uche is up there with God.”
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