‘Today’: Sheinelle Jones Tells ‘Wicked’ Stars How Movie Helped Her Work Through Grief

One of this year’s most highly anticipated movies inspired Sheinelle Jones after the death of her husband, Uche Ojeh.

Jones sat down with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo during her recent trip to London for the European premiere of Wicked: For Good. During her interview with the actresses — which aired on the third hour of Today‘s Wednesday, November 12, episode — Jones took the chance to share how the movie touched her on a personal level.

“You guys both know that I am grieving, right? That I carry two things everywhere I go. I move forward, but I’m also grieving,” she shared. “And when I went into the theatre to screen this movie, it was transcendent for me in a way that I didn’t know I needed.”

She continued, “To see these characters be strong and brave and vulnerable, and I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Okay. If these women can do this on the screen, so can I, in my own way. I can be strong and courageous and brave.’ And not just your characters, but who you are as women in real life.”

Both Grande and Erivo appeared emotional while hearing Jones’ kind words. They returned her kindness with compliments of their own, with Grande stating, “Well, we thank you and we love you, and you are all of those things.”

Erivo, for her part, added, “Well, thank you for that. Thank you. We do love you very much.”

The interview ended with both actresses standing up to share a sweet hug with Jones. Back in Today‘s Studio 1A, Jones joked to her cohosts, “It turned into a hug fest, let me tell you.”

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Back in May, Savannah Guthrie announced on Today that Jones’ husband, Ojeh, had died of brain cancer at the age of 45. Jones had been absent from the NBC morning show since December 2024 for a private family health matter. She made her return to Today in September, during which she thanked her colleagues and fans for their support.

“You guys have been my oxygen,” she said to her cohosts at the time. “And you guys at home, all the messages and prayers and I’m so thankful. This is my dream, and I didn’t know how I would feel Today. But walking through 30 Rock — I felt humbled by it, and I’m honored that we took this much time for me to be able to share our love story. And so, here I am.”

Jones and Ojeh met as students at Northwestern University and got married in 2007. They went on to welcome three kids — son Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche Jr., 13. Clara joined Jones on her London trip for the Wicked: For Good premiere, as well as sat in on her Today interview with Grande and Erivo.

NBC

“I couldn’t think of two better ladies to connect with, and jump back into doing sit-down interviews again. 🥹 I promise we did more than hug! Haha ✨,” Jones captioned Instagram pics from the interview, including a sweet group shot she and Clara took with the stars. “I love @arianagrande and @cynthiaerivo, and you are going to LOVE the second act of @wickedmovie . It’s just … beyond. So so good! (And Clara got to see her mom stay up late the night before – preparing, before our beautiful conversation.)”

Wicked: For Good continues the story of Elphaba (Erivo) and Glinda (Grande) after the events of 2024’s Wicked. The story follows the women as the embrace their titles as the Wicked and Good witches of Oz amid turmoil in the magical land. Like the Broadway show its based on, Wicked: For Good will also show how the events of The Wizard of Oz played out from the pair’s unique perspectives.

Third Hour of Today, Weekdays, 9/8c, NBC

Wicked: For Good, In Theaters, Friday, November 21