Why Is ‘Today With Jenna & Sheinelle’ Prerecorded This Week?

This week’s lineup of Today hosts has been down two familiar faces.

Jenna Bush Hager has been absent from the NBC morning show all week long. Sheinelle Jones, meanwhile, filled in for Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin at the anchor desk alongside Laura Jarrett on Monday, June 29, before beginning her own break from the show on Tuesday, June 30.

While the hosts have been absent, the fourth hour of Today, a.k.a. Today With Jenna & Sheinelle, has continued to air prerecorded episodes featuring new conversations between Bush Hager and Jones, as well as new segments with the hosts and their lineup of celebrity guests.

“Tune in for another week of fabulous guests on #JennaandSheinelle!” the show’s official Instagram page captioned a photo of this week’s lineup, which includes guests such as Michelle Buteau, Jodie Turner-Smith, Devyn Simone, Terry Crews, and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

Underneath the post, one user wrote, “Probably skipping all week as it’s all prerecorded. I watch live episodes only, so I’m out.” Another added, “I’m guessing these are all pre-taped because of the holiday.”

NBC

The Today hosts aren’t strangers to taking multiple days off in the summer to enjoy vacation time with their families. Though the reason for Bush Hager and Jones’ absences hasn’t been revealed on the show, they are likely taking the week off to enjoy a summer vacation break ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.

This time last year, Bush Hager was still leading the fourth hour of Today under the title Today With Jenna & Friends. Following Hoda Kotb‘s Today exit in January 2025, Bush Hager continued to co-host the fourth hour with an ever-changing lineup of celebrity guest hosts.

According to Today‘s website, Bush Hager’s Jenna & Friends co-hosts for July included Guthrie, Brooke Shields, Dwyane Wade, Ciara, Willie Geist, Octavia Spencer, and Tyra Banks.

This time last year for Jones, meanwhile, Jones was still on her months-long break from Today following the death of her husband, Uche Ojeh. Back in May 2025, Guthrie announced on the show that Ojeh had passed away at the age of 45 following a private battle with brain cancer.

Jones returned to Today in September 2025 and began co-hosting the fourth hour with Bush Hager in January.

Related

Jenna Bush Hager Reads Hilarious Throwback Note From High School

Neither Bush Hager nor Jones have offered glimpses into their current show breaks via social media. Earlier this month, however, Jones gave her Instagram followers a “check-in” shortly after the first anniversary of her husband’s death.

“I figured I’d just share some of the recent pics on my phone… kind of a snap shot at life lately. From the sidelines at games, to the beach, book tour, and the office,” she wrote on June 15. “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 continued, “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