Sheinelle Jones Reveals Annoying Reason for Unexpected ‘Today’ Absence

Sheinelle Jones‘ recent long weekend was not a planned one.

Jones was absent from Today on Monday, June 15, leaving Jenna Bush Hager to host Today With Jenna & Sheinelle solo. At the top of the show’s Tuesday, June 16, episode, Bush Hager noted that Jones had “quite a travel day” the day prior.

Jones, who was sporting a monochrome blue pantsuit, said she planned to wear the outfit on Monday to celebrate the New York Knicks’ appearance on the show. “I watched, and you killed it yesterday. My son was like, ‘Of all days, mom, to miss the show…'” she quipped. (Jones shares her three kids — Kayin, Clara, and Uche — with her late husband, Uche Ojeh.)

Bush Hager proceeded to explain Jones’ unexpected absence, stating, “Sadly, you had some travel delays that got you stuck in Chicago.” Jones noted that the delay was weather-related, sharing, “You know when they say weather, and you look up at the sky, and you’re like, ‘Well, where is the weather?’ I was in Chicago. I was supposed to come back on Sunday, and they said that it was supposed to storm. There was no storm.”

Jones said that she was one of many travelers, including a Jenna & Sheinelle staff member, whose flights were either delayed or canceled. “One of our colleagues decided to keep going, on a different flight, just happened to be in Chicago, and didn’t get here until three o’clock in the morning,” she stated.

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During the conversation, Bush Hager recalled one of her own annoying past travel experiences. “There was once a time on this show where I was dropping the kids at camp, and I was flying from Texas to come back to New York [and] my flight was canceled,” she shared. “Bad storms, I guess, in Texas.” (Bush Hager shares her three kids — Mila, Poppy, and Hal — with her husband, Henry Hager.)

Bush Hager said she had to “re-route” and ended up flying to Ohio. “[I] spent the night at the airport, and then got here for work,” she told Jones. “So, it’s like, we’ve just got to give ourselves grace.”

Though Jones missed Monday’s show, she took to Instagram later that day to give fans a “check-in” on how she’s feeling one year into her grief journey. (Jones’ husband died at the age of 45 in May 2025 following a private battle with brain cancer.)

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“From the sidelines at games, to the beach, book tour, and the office. It feels like the last few months have been some of the *best* of times, with some hard moments in between; perhaps that’s the new normal,” she captioned her Monday Instagram slideshow of recent pics. “For anyone in this first year or so of grief … I just want you to know that I see you, and I hope you see me too. We can and must still have beautiful days filled with new wins, joy and hopefully peace that passes all understanding. Love you guys.”

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