Why Sheinelle Jones Has Been So Candid About Her Grief After Uche Ojeh’s Death
Sheinelle Jones remembers the advice she got following her husband Uche Ojeh’s death in May 2025.
"'In the first year after you lose someone,’” she recalled in an exclusive interview with E! News, “‘don't do anything.’”
While apt advice for some, Sheinelle has done what some might describe as the exact opposite—herself included. Not only has the 48-year-old stepped into a new role alongside Jenna Bush Hager on Today’s fourth hour, but she’s also finished, released and gone on tour for her first book, Through Mom’s Eyes: Simple Wisdom From Mothers Who Raised Extraordinary Humans.
“That's because there are no rules,” she said of navigating grief. “You listen to your gut. So, all I can hope is that my gut is leading me in the right direction with all of it. And if not, then I guess we just recalibrate and then we do it again, you know?”
But if anything, Sheinelle’s professional and personal marathon—or a “mamathon,” as she calls it in her book—over the last year has been the ultimate way to honor Uche.
“He was a triathlete, he was super competitive,” she explained. “And even moments when I thought, ‘Gosh, I don't have it in me to finish this book or try to plan some ten-city tour,’ I have to do it. In some ways, I just feel like I’m running for both of us, and our kids.”
So, when Through Mom’s Eyes sprinted its way to the top of The New York Times bestseller list, Sheinelle joked she was “surprised it didn't rain or something” as a celebratory sign.
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After all, Uche was one of her earliest supporters when it occurred to her in 2020 to turn her onscreen series on moms into a book. “It seemed like this lofty dream,” she recalled, “and at the time my husband was like, ‘Try it. Let's just do it.’”
And while Sheinelle—mom to kids Kayin, 16, and 13-year-old twins Clara and Uche—finally feels comfortable giving herself the kudos for all she’s accomplished in the last year, this is not to say her grief doesn’t knock her legs out from under her when she least expects it.
“For the big holidays, I feel like you fortify yourself,” she reflected. “Christmas, Thanksgiving—you're ready for those. Those aren't the moments that get me. It's the Sunday morning. It's the Tuesday at four. It's the beautiful day outside and I'm walking down the street and everybody's dining al fresco. Those are the moments, that I think are a work in progress for me.”
Sheinelle Jones/Instagram
Grief can be a very lonely and isolating experience—which is why the reception to Through Mom’s Eyes has made all the difference.
“The amount of folks who come up to me, whether they're a mom or maybe they're a widow or maybe they're a single mom or maybe they went to Northwestern like I did, all the boxes—it's this fellowship,” Sheinelle explained. “In the book, I say, ‘Welcome to the biggest mom village.’ I really believe it. It helps us all. I just want whoever's reading it to not feel alone. Like I just want us to all be in this together.”
And as she approaches some more challenging milestones—such as the first anniversary of Uche’s death—not only is Sheinelle not alone, but Uche will always be with her.
“We don't move on, but we move forward,” she said, “with him.”
Through Mom’s Eyes: Simple Wisdom From Mothers Who Raised Extraordinary Humans is available now for purchase.
For more on the special moments Sheinelle and Uche shared together, read on.
Sheinelle Jones/Instagram
Life Partners
Sheinelle Jones often spoke about how she met her husband Uche Ojeh while giving him a tour of campus at Northwestern University when she was just 19.
As Savannah Guthrie noted in Today’s May 23 tribute to the consultant, he was a “remarkable man who was Sheinelle’s perfect partner in life.”
Sheinelle Jones/Instagram
Dedicated to Faith
Throughout his battle with glioblastoma, the Today anchors emphasized that Uche was devoted to his faith as well as his Nigerian heritage. In a post from 2021, Sheinelle shared that all three of their kids dressed in “native Nigerian wear” for their baptism.
Sheinelle Jones/Instagram
That Guy
As the father of kids Kayin, and younger twins Clara and Uche Jr., Uche put his family first.
“He loved those kids more than anything else in this world,” Craig Melvin emphasized in Today’s tribute. “He was just so proud. He was that dad that was on the sidelines of every soccer game, all of the concerts, recitals. He was that guy.”
Sheinelle Jones, Instagram
A “Humble Man”
During Today’s broadcast, Al Roker noted that while Uche was quiet, he was “wickedly funny,” adding, “He was a humble man.”
Sheinelle Jones/Instagram
Biggest Supporter
In a birthday tribute to Uche in 2021, Sheinelle emphasized that her late husband was always by her side.
“When I put in his picture and click ‘search’ on my iPhone ... pretty much ALL of the pics, are of him by my side,” she explained on Instagram. “And/or helping the kids with homework, music or soccer lessons. I am truly thankful to be on this journey with such a beautiful human being.”
Sheinelle Jones/Instagram
Going the Distance
In the Today segment honoring Uche, Savannah emphasized that Sheinelle and Uche overcame obstacles including long distance to make their romance work. And for Sheinelle, it was all worth it. As she wrote in a tribute post to Uche in 2022, “You caught my eye when I was 19 years old …. and here we are.”
Sheinelle Jones/Instagram
Warriors
Amid their hardest battle together, Savannah emphasized that both Sheinelle and Uche were “warriors.”
As Savannah emphasized, Uche was “a man whose joyful spirit and quiet strength complemented Sheinelle in every way.”
Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Saying Goodbye
In a post following the segment announcing Uche’s tragic death, Sheinelle wrote, “Thank you, for all of your love and support.”
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