When “Today” anchor Sheinelle Jones’ husband, Uche Ojeh, died in May 2025 from brain cancer, she didn’t get the chance to properly thank his hospice team, until this week that is.
On Wednesday, Feb. 4, what would have been Ojeh’s 46th birthday, the 47-year-old anchor welcomed the hospice team who cared for him during his final days battling glioblastoma for a special surprise on the show.
The heartfelt and emotional segment began with a video of Jones explaining that when caring for a loved one in hospice, you encounter a group that becomes like family — and she hadn’t had the chance to thank them because of how quickly everything unfolded after his death.
“By the time we got to the end, we almost had this quiet little tribe of folks we felt were rooting for us, and kind of fell in love with our family,” she explained. “Things happened so fast in the end that I just haven’t had a chance to say thank you.”
His team, she shared, consisted of Jazzie Stickle, Denise James Wright, Nykyra Owens, Chanel Duff and Jessica Goldstein, each of whom spoke warmly about caring for Jones’ family during Ojeh’s final days.
Remembering the first time her family entered Hudson Valley Hospice, she shared the message she got from the team right away, “You’re not here to die. You’re here to live, and we’re gonna give you the best days that you have left.”
She thanked the nurses for making “the end feel easier to carry,” adding that they “surrounded me and cared for me in the lowest of lows.”
While seated together on the show, Jones expressed her gratitude in a big way, gifting each of the women and a guest an all-inclusive round-trip vacation to Cabo, Mexico.
“Can you think of a better gift for Uche than giving to them?” co-host Jenna Bush Hager asked.
“I literally picture Uche up there like,” Jones said, pumping her fist. “We love you guys so much, and the fact that this just happened to be on his birthday — there you go. His birthday gift to you guys.”
Earlier in the emotional broadcast, Jones also got candid about how difficult it was to reach her late husband’s first birthday since his death.
“I’ve just been so busy that I think I’ve underestimated how tough this one would be,” she said. “And in some ways it’s harder than Thanksgiving and Christmas because you know those are coming and everybody knows it with you. So you’re fortified with love and calls. But this is one of those where it’s just kind of this tribe and people in our family.”
