‘Today’s Sheinelle Jones Opens Up About First Mother’s Day Since Husband’s Death

Mother’s Day weekend was emotional for Today‘s Sheinelle Jones.

Jones and Jenna Bush Hager kicked off the Monday, May 11, episode of Today With Jenna & Sheinelle by chatting about how they spent the holiday. “Kayin posted on Instagram, so I was like, ‘Thanks, buddy,'” Jones shared, adding that her eldest son also sent her Matt Damon‘s Mother’s Day-themed monologue from the latest episode of Saturday Night Live.

During the conversation, Bush Hager brought up Jones’ memorable on-stage performance with Zara Larsson on the Friday, May 8, episode of Today. According to Jones, the moment helped boost her daughter Clara’s confidence for a big event.

“Later that night, Clara had a recital for this gala she was in, and she was dancing, and she was with the kids. And I zoomed in on Clara, and I got a little teary-eyed because part of me wondered — and I can only hope — she saw me earlier that day. And I’m telling you, she just, the spunk, and I was so proud of her,” she recalled. “And then, they did this red carpet reporting — keep in mind, last week was also [my moment with] Rihanna [at the Met Gala]. And so, I was behind the scenes, watching her interview people on the red carpet at this gala, and I was teary just because she did such a good job.”

Despite her proud mom moment, Jones said Mother’s Day was “tough” for her. “I think when you have firsts — and Mother’s Day was a first for me since Uche passed — you fortify your heart, right?” she told Bush Hager. “Christmas and Easter, you kind of fortify yourself. But there are some holidays that you don’t see coming that are harder than you think. Mother’s Day was brutal.”

 

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Jones shares her three kids — Kayin, Clara, and Uche — with her late husband, Uche Ojeh. He died at the age of 45 in May 2025 following a private battle with brain cancer.

Bush Hager pointed out that the holiday was likely difficult because Ojeh was “probably the one that did everything.” Jones confirmed her comments, stating, “[He was like,] ‘Guys, we gotta get some cards!’ And so, I realized, ‘Oh, we don’t have that.’ I think we all quietly realized it.”

Luckily, Jones found a “silver lining” amid the emotional day. “My little guy had a game at 9 a.m. Kayin had a game at 7 p.m. Clara had dance. So, it was like, I couldn’t stay in bed,” she stated. “And then watching Clara dance and my little guy’s been injured and it was his first game back, and then watching Kayin, he played on the higher team, I was like, ‘Okay. It’s gonna be okay.'”

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Bush Hager joked that it’s “ironic” that Jones “found joy in your kids, watching them and being proud of them, which is what Mother’s Day should be about.”

Jones agreed, assing, “I stuck the landing, I think.”

On Sunday, May 10, Jones celebrated Mother’s Day via Instagram by sharing several childhood photos of her three kids. “To Kayin, Clara & Uche,” she captioned the upload.

Today With Jenna & Sheinelle, Weekdays, 10 am, NBC