“Today” co-host Sheinelle Jones is opening up about the emotional support she received from Anderson Cooper following the death of her husband, Uche Ojeh.
During an appearance on Cooper’s podcast “All There Is,” Jones revealed how the CNN anchor’s conversations about grief helped her cope with multiple family losses over the past year. According to TV Insider, Jones described Cooper as “the soundtrack to my healing” while discussing the impact his podcast had on her grieving process.
Jones’ husband, Uche Ojeh, died in 2025 at age 45 after a private battle with brain cancer. The longtime “Today” personality had stepped away from the NBC morning show in late 2024 due to what was initially described as a family health matter before later confirming her husband’s illness and death.
Speaking candidly on the podcast, Jones admitted she struggled to accept the severity of Ojeh’s condition even after doctors suggested hospice care. She explained that she initially wanted to care for him at home because both of them hoped he would recover.
Jones also reflected on the emotional difficulty of parenting their three children while navigating grief herself. She said one of the hardest parts has been watching her children process their father’s death while knowing she cannot fully take away their pain.
“It’s excruciating that I can’t take that pain away, that they have to learn how to deal with it and wrestle with it and hold it and make it make sense. And so, I’m left trying to figure out how to nurture their hearts,” she shared.
In addition to losing her husband, Jones shared that she is still mourning the death of her grandmother, Josephine Vonceal Pace Brown, who died earlier this year at age 96. During the episode, Cooper surprised Jones with archival footage of her grandmother singing with her choir, prompting an emotional reaction from the TV host.
Cooper launched the “All There Is” podcast in 2022 to explore grief and loss through personal stories and conversations. The journalist has spoken publicly for years about losing his father, brother and mother, fashion icon Gloria Vanderbilt.
Jones returned to “Today” in 2025 and later joined the program’s fourth hour alongside Jenna Bush Hager.
