The Today Show has finally found its permanent fourth-hour replacement for Hoda Kotb.
NBC announced on Monday, December 8, that Sheinelle Jones would be joining Jenna Bush Hager as the official cohost of Today’s 10 a.m. hour. Today With Jenna & Sheinelle will launch on Monday, January 12, 2026.
“This marks an exciting new chapter for the fourth hour,” Today executives said in a statement. “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.”
Jones, 47, will join Bush Hager, 44, on air Tuesday, December 9, for the announcement.
Following Kotb’s exit in September 2024, it was announced that Craig Melvin would take over as Savannah Guthrie’s cohost for the first two hours of the NBC morning show. Kotb’s seat in the fourth hour of the program, however, remained open with the network cycling through guest hosts over the past year that included Scarlett Johansson, Amy Poehler, Matt Rogers and more.
“Anybody would be so lucky [to work with Jenna],” Kotb, 61, said during an episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in January when asked who she wants to see as her replacement. “But to me, the contenders are Savannah. I think she would be great. I think Justin Sylvester is amazing. … Scarlett Johansson crushed it. She said it was her favorite job.”
She also suggested “dear friend” Jones as a solid option, saying, “I think she would be good. I feel like it’s whoever clicks great with Jenna.”
Sheinelle Jones and Jenna Bush Hager. Getty Images (2)
Jones has been with Today since 2014 when she joined the show’s weekend edition. She was later named cohost of the program’s third hour in 2019, where she worked alongside Dylan Dreyer and Melvin, 46.
Earlier this year, Jones took a leave of absence from Today after her husband, Uche Ojeh, died in May from a rare form of brain cancer. He was 45. The pair, who tied the knot in 2007, shared three children: son Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche, 13. She returned four months later in September.
“In this moment, I’m OK. Day-to-day, I’m OK. From a macro picture, how am I doing? My heart is shattered in a million pieces,” Jones told Guthrie, 53, on her first episode back. “The life that I’ve known since I was 19 is no more. I always wanted kids, and I have three kids of my own now and they lost their dad. I’m their mom, and it sucks. So, how am I doing? It’s day-to-day. I’m proud of myself for how I’ve coped so far. I’m proud of my kids for how we’ve been able to pull through, but it’s horrible.”
She continued, ‘To watch a 45-year-old do triathlons and live and breathe off of soccer and his kids? To take a guy like that, and watch him have to deal with this fight was a nightmare,” she recalled. “The way he fought it and the way we rallied together and the way we saw the best of humanity was beautiful. So, it was my beautiful nightmare.”
Jones then broke down in tears while reflecting on her 18-year marriage to Ojeh, sharing that she would “do it all again” even with the same outcome.
“I got to that place where I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring. When I decided to take a leave [of absence], that was why because I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring and I was starting to feel, like, I didn’t want to miss it,” she added.
Shortly after her return to Today in September, rumors swirled that the journalist would be joining the new cast of the Real Housewives of New York City. Jones addressed the speculation while cohosting Today With Jenna & Friends, telling guest Andy Cohen that her phone had been “exploding” for the past 72 hours.
While Jenna Bush Hager is having fun hosting the fourth hour of Today with her celebrity pals, many fans still wonder who will permanently take over Hoda Kotb’s former role. Kotb ended her 17-year run on the NBC morning show in January 2025, after which Craig Melvin replaced her as Savannah Guthrie’s news coanchor. Bush […]
“Well, this didn’t get to me,” a visibly surprised Cohen, 57, joked. “Would you ever?”
When she didn’t immediately shut down the idea, a shocked Bush Hager jumped in to beg, “You can’t leave us like that!”
Jones later seemingly put her cohosts worries to rest by denying she would be appearing any time soon. “Relax, I’m not on this next season. Everyone’s like, ‘Are you really?!’ Look at [Andy]. He’s, like, salivating. It’s just good television,” she said with a laugh. “Leave me alone.”