‘Today’s Sheinelle Jones Gets Emotional as She Returns to Her TV Roots

Sheinelle Jones took a trip down memory lane while promoting her new book, Through Mom’s Eyes.

In addition to enjoying spring break with her kids, Jones used her week-long hiatus from Today to promote her book at her former news station, Fox 29, in Philadelphia. “Is it weird to be in this room?” Mike Jerrick asked Jones in a clip from the station’s morning news show, Good Day Philadelphia, shared via Instagram on Monday, March 30.

Jones said she “almost cried” when she saw her former colleague Karen Hepp upon arriving at the studio. Hepp was equally as emotional, as she shared, “Well, we were pregnant, like, back-to-back, and we had those babies and we would hang out. And Kayin, they’d come over and they’d play.” (Jones shares her three kids — Kayin, Clara, and Uche — with her late husband, Uche Ojeh.)

Jones went on to share a funny realization she had while reuniting with another colleague. “One of our photographers — see, I said ‘our,’ did you see that — one of our photographers, Chris, came in, and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God. Are you still with the girl that you met on Match?’” she stated. “And he’s like, ‘Oh, yeah! And now, we have a child.’ And the kid is, like, going off to college and learning how to drive. I’m like, ‘I remember when you were looking for love!”

Jones noted that the show’s studio had been “gutted” since she was last there and was grateful to be back. “There’s so much love in this city, and I’m just happy to be here,” she gushed.

 

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The Today host also revealed that she got her Fox 29 job by “accident,” sharing, “I was a reporter in Tulsa, Oklahoma, covering American Idol. I remember meeting a former news director here, and I was like, ‘If I send you my VHS tape, could you give me some feedback?’ And so, I sent her my first VHS tape, and it got lost. So, I sent her my second VHS tape, and it got lost.”

She continued, “And then, I got a call from the news director at the time here, and she said, ‘Hey, we love you for the job. Would you like to come interview for the job?’ I didn’t know what she was talking about, and I was like, ‘Yeah.’ I was like, ‘What was the job again?’ And she was like, ‘Oh, it’s a morning reporter at the Fox affiliate in Philly.’ And I was like, ‘Yes, yes.’ And it turns out, my tape that I was using to get feedback got lost and ended up in the HR pile. And that’s how I got this job.”

Fans were excited to see Jones back on Fox 29. “Philly’s missed you Sheinelle!❤️,” one person commented underneath the Instagram clip. Another added, “Awww… you and Mike are together again. ❤️❤️❤️.” Someone else shared, “Oh, I missed this. Welcome back!!”

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After earning a degree in broadcast journalism from Northwestern University, Jones got her start as a reporter and morning anchor at WICS-TV in Springfield, Illinois, per her Today bio. She went on to work at a Fox affiliate in Tulsa before joining the Good Day Philadelphia team. She left Fox 29 in 2014 to become an anchor on Weekend Today.

Five years later, Jones began co-hosting the third hour of Today with Al Roker, Craig Melvin, and Dylan Dreyer. She took several months off from Today in late 2024 and early 2025 amid her husband’s private battle with brain cancer. Ojeh died at the age of 45 in May 2025.

Jones returned to Today that September, and was announced as Jenna Bush Hager‘s new fourth hour of Today co-host in December 2025. She began her new role on Today with Jenna & Sheinelle in January.

Jones’ debut book, Through Mom’s Eyes, hits bookstores on April 14. The book features candid conversations about motherhood between Jones and the mothers of celebrities.

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