{"id":4968,"date":"2026-06-07T12:05:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T12:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/sheinelle-jones-and-jenna-bush-hager-rally-around-coworker\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T12:05:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T12:05:14","slug":"sheinelle-jones-and-jenna-bush-hager-rally-around-coworker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/sheinelle-jones-and-jenna-bush-hager-rally-around-coworker\/","title":{"rendered":"Sheinelle Jones and Jenna Bush Hager &#8216;rally around&#8217; coworker"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F06%2Fnewspress-collage-borhvcl5d-1780699787006.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall%261780685396\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The \u201cToday\u201d Show is like a family. And when one member needs help, the others rush in.<\/p>\n<p>So after Sheinelle Jones\u2019 husband, Uche Ojeh, was diagnosed in the fall of 2023 with glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/01\/17\/celebrity-news\/sheinelle-jones-brave-return-to-today\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">took his life in May of last year<\/a>, Savannah Guthrie was there for her.<\/p>\n<p>And when Guthrie\u2019s mom, Nancy,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/05\/13\/celebrity-news\/savannah-guthrie-shares-poignant-message-as-search-for-missing-mom-nancy-passes-100-days\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vanished from her Arizona home<\/a>\u00a0on February 1, the \u201cToday\u201d family were ready to support the \u201cToday\u201d co-anchor in anything she needed.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones debuted their namesake morning show just two weeks before Nancy Guthrie, the mother of their \u201cToday\u201d coworker Savannah Guthrie, went missing. <span class=\"credit\">NBC\/ Marc J. Franklin<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rather than panic, Jones,\u00a0who is the mom of sons Kayin, 16, and Uche Jr., 13, as well as daughter Clara, 13, said she found herself focused on supporting Savannah the same way colleagues had supported her.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>She recalled in an <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/01\/17\/celebrity-news\/sheinelle-jones-brave-return-to-today\/\">earlier interview <\/a>how Savannah jumped in.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was one day Savannah came up to the hospital and she said, \u2018You need to get out of here \u2026 \u2018\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe went to this little restaurant around the corner from the hospital and had margaritas, and I said, \u2018You were my oxygen for the day, and sometimes I never know where my oxygen\u2019s going to come from.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Jones (left) said everyone at \u201cToday\u201d rallied around Savannah Guthrie (right, with Bush Hager) during her crisis as they did her husband Uche Ojeh was sick. <span class=\"credit\">Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The shocking news of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/05\/13\/celebrity-news\/savannah-guthrie-shares-poignant-message-as-search-for-missing-mom-nancy-passes-100-days\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nancy\u2019s disappearance<\/a>\u00a0came just two weeks after the premiere of \u201cJenna &amp; Sheinelle,\u201d\u00a0aka the fourth hour of \u201cToday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jones acknowledged that launching a new show during such an emotional period changed the way she approached the job. <\/p>\n<p>However, it\u2019s now going gangbusters in the ratings \u2014 up 30% in the last year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn any other matrix, it would\u2019ve just been about us and the show,\u201d Jones said. \u201cBut we didn\u2019t have time for that. I didn\u2019t have time to worry about my hair or whether I was being funny. Real life was happening.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Jones was left devastated by the death of her husband, Uche Ojeh, in May 2015. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images for NAACP LDF<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Jones with her three kids, from left, Clara, Kayin and Uche Jr. <span class=\"credit\">Nathan Congleton\/NBC via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>She believes those circumstances ultimately strengthened her partnership with Bush Hager.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt continues to bond us in ways we can\u2019t even describe or make sense of,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>While Hoda Kotb, who left \u201cToday\u201d in 2025,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/02\/25\/celebrity-news\/hoda-kotbs-future-at-today-show-revealed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">temporarily returned<\/a>\u00a0to the show\u2019s news desk alongside Craig Melvin to help cover developments in the case, Bush Hager and Jones often found themselves discussing the emotional impact of Savannah\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s beautiful about our hour is that you can\u2019t fake it,\u201d said Bush Hager, 44. \u201cWe don\u2019t have the news to fall back on. Our conversations have to be emotional and connected to what we\u2019re actually going through.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She said it would have felt dishonest not to acknowledge what was happening.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Bush Hager\u2019s husband, Henry Hager, was one of her guest co-hosts before Jones joined the show full-time. <span class=\"credit\">TODAY<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Bush Hager has often brought her kids, including daughters Mila and Poppy, to the set. <span class=\"credit\">NBCU Photo Bank\/NBCUniversal via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cEvery day we were thinking about her,\u201d Bush Hager said. \u201cHow could we not talk about it? It was what was happening off camera.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The pair made a conscious effort not to pretend everything was normal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not going to act like things are OK if they\u2019re not,\u201d Bush Hager said. \u201cWe\u2019re bringing ourselves to the audience. It was a really hard time because we adore her so much, and it still is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bush Hager said that her father, former President George W. Bush, often teases her about how close the \u201cToday\u201d team has become.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019ll say, \u2018How\u2019s the family?&#8217;\u201d she said. \u201cWe understand how lucky we are to work at a place where people really care about each other. If our sister\u2019s heart is broken, ours is too.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Hoda Kotb co-hosted the 10 a.m. hour of \u201cToday\u201d until her departure from in January 2025. She\u2019s seen with Bush Hager and her son, Hal Hager. <span class=\"credit\">Nathan Congleton\/NBC via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Asked whether Savannah\u2019s situation has made them worry more about their own safety and their families, Bush Hager immediately dismissed the notion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, because we\u2019re worried about one person only,\u201d\u00a0she said. \u201cWhen Sheinelle was going through what she was going through, we weren\u2019t thinking, \u2018What if this happened to us?\u2019 We were worried about our sister.\u00a0[It was,]\u00a0\u2018Who has the kids? Can we send food? How can we help?&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jones officially joined Bush Hager on January 12,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2025\/12\/09\/celebrity-news\/sheinelle-jones-replaces-hoda-kotb-as-jenna-bush-hagers-co-host-on-today\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stepping into Kotb\u2019s former role\u00a0<\/a>after the show had a year of guests filling the seat.<\/p>\n<p>When it came to hiring a permanent co-host, there was never doubt in Bush Hager\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI always wanted Sheinelle,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I was waiting because she was going through something very personal.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Guthrie, (right) seen alongside close friend Jena Bush Hager, made her return to \u201cToday\u201d on April 6 after two months off the show. <span class=\"credit\">Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Guthrie\u2019s mom, Nancy, has been missing for four months after going missing from her Arizona home on February 1. <span class=\"credit\">Instagram\/savannahguthrie<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The two aren\u2019t shy about asking each other for support. During Jones\u2019 recent nationwide book tour promoting her book \u201cThrough Mom\u2019s Eyes,\u201d Bush Hager frequently stepped in to help.<\/p>\n<p>Jones compared their partnership to \u201cdating live on air\u201d and joked that the experience often feels like free therapy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re learning to fly a plane while we\u2019re flying it,\u201d Bush Hager,<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>who grew up in Texas when her family wasn\u2019t in the White House,\u00a0added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re two women with a lot in common, and I think viewers connect with that,\u201d Jones,\u00a0originally from Wichita, Kansas,\u00a0said. \u201cI\u2019m black, she\u2019s white, but we\u2019re both from places we love. We both had Dillard\u2019s [department store] where we used to get our bras when we were kids!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The pair\u2019s ratings have surged, up 30% from this time last year, as viewers tune in for everything from candid conversations about perimenopause to lighter moments like sampling this summer\u2019s frozen Hugo spritz.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Guthrie was seen hugging Bush Hager upon her return. <span class=\"credit\">Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>And the show just posted its strongest May audience share in four years, outperforming key competitors and delivering one of daytime television\u2019s fastest growth rates.<\/p>\n<p>Yet Bush Hager said ratings are rarely discussed with talent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve only had a handful of conversations about ratings,\u201d she explained. \u201cNobody comes in and says, \u2018Ratings are bad.\u2019 [The producers\u2019] job is to hire people who can connect with viewers, and that\u2019s that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bush Hager,\u00a0who shares Mila, 13, Poppy, 10, and Hal, 6, with husband Henry Hager,\u00a0a managing director at a private equity fund,\u00a0is looking forward to a quieter summer after a hectic stretch that included interviews with\u00a0her dad,<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Queen Camilla, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Bill Clinton, as well as a cameo in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/04\/08\/entertainment\/craig-melvin-accidentally-reveals-jenna-bush-hagers-career-pivot-during-live-today-show\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cThe Devil Wears Prada 2.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Jones, Kotb, Guthrie, and Bush Hager at 30 Rock in 2022. <span class=\"credit\">Nathan Congleton\/NBC via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Now, \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to a chill summer, man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But she\u2019s busy beyond television \u2014 running a\u00a0national\u00a0book club and publishing books through her media company Thousand Voices. She also has a deal with Universal Studios Group to adapt books for television.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have to decide what lights your fire and create a world around that,\u201d Busy Hager said. \u201cThe sixth-grade version of me, who was obsessed with [novelist] Ann Patchett, would never believe that now I can text her and ask for book recommendations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll these little dreams I had as a kid are coming true,\u201d she added. \u201cYou can create meaningful work around the things you\u2019re obsessed with.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Bush Hager interviewed her dad, former President George W. Bush, earlier this year. <span class=\"credit\">TODAY with Jenna &amp; Sheinelle<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For Jones, the atmosphere on their NBC set feels almost spiritual.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I sit down, I don\u2019t have to worry,\u201d she said. \u201cI think the good lord does what He does.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That faith that has kept both her and Savannah going, even as Nancy Guthrie\u2019s disappearance remains unsolved\u00a0and a reward of $1 million is now being offered for information leading to her return.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Bush Hager also interviewed Queen Camilla in NYC last month. <span class=\"credit\">Jenna B. Hager\/ TODAY<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAnd you wake up in the morning, and you\u2019re going to feel like you can\u2019t get out of bed, but just know somehow you\u2019re going to get a little manna every day. And that has been true every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before Jones officially accepted her role alongside Bush Hager, it was Kotb who offered some memorable advice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe told me it would be one of the greatest decisions I ever made,\u201d Jones recalled.<\/p>\n<p>Months later, she knows Kotb was right.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love being able to sit down, not know exactly where we\u2019re going to go, and have the freedom to figure it out together,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Turning to Bush Hager, she added: \u201cI know that if I go this way or that way, you\u2019re not going to let me fall on my face.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/06\/07\/celebrity-news\/sheinelle-jones-and-jenna-bush-hager-rally-around-coworker\/\" target=\"_blank\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The \u201cToday\u201d Show is like a family. And when one member needs help, the others<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4969,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/newspress-collage-borhvcl5d-1780699787006.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}