‘Today’s Jenna Bush Hager & Sheinelle Jones Gush Over Their Close Friendship

It’s been nearly a year since Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones became Today cohosts, and their bond is stronger than ever.

After Hoda Kotb left Today in January 2025, Bush Hager led the fourth hour of Today with a series of celebrity guest hosts, titled Today With Jenna & Friends, for a year. Jones returned to the NBC morning show in September 2025 after taking several months off in the wake of her husband Uche Ojeh‘s death that May.

In December 2025, it was announced that Jones would officially join the fourth hour as Bush Hager’s permanent co-host, and she began her new Today role in January.

The pair gushed about their friendship on and off the small screen in a new interview with People. “Sheinelle has the wonder of a child,” Bush Hager said while recounting the Today cast’s recent trip to Ireland. “I think [it’s] that type of wonder when you’re traveling with somebody to a different country that you’ve never been to. [She’s] somebody that sees the beauty in every single thing and takes a picture.”

Jones noted that she’s “always like Jenna,” adding, “I’ve always thought she was cool, but her vibration? I’m not a woo-woo person, but I just think she’s a cool chick, and she’s fun and she’s smart and she’s witty and I like being around her.”

 

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She continued, “I always tell [my daughter] Clara, ‘When you hang around girls, you want to be with girls who lift you up and elevate your conversation and just make you feel better when you leave,’ and Jenna does that for me.”

In addition to traveling to Ireland with their fellow Today hosts, Bush Hager and Jones recently traveled to Port Jervis, New York, for their first-ever Today With Jenna & Sheinelle Girls Getaway. “Traveling is when you get to know people in a different way, and I think when you go back into the workplace, it makes you better,” Jones told the outlet. “The whole team, we all felt that way. And as much as I loved the greenery of Ireland, we have greenery in upstate New York.”

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The event — held Wednesday, October 21, through Thursday, October 22 — saw Bush Hager and Jones connect with fans through sound baths and panels with guests including Courteney Cox, Julee Wilson, Laura Geller, and Cynthia Rowley.

“I’ve been in this business now for 30 years. It was one of the most moving experiences I’ve ever had,” Jones said of the Girls Getaway on the Monday, October 26, episode of Jenna & Sheinelle. “Look, we sit here, and we do this day in and day out, and at least we have our crew here, they’ll laugh or clap or bring us energy, but we don’t always get to see you. So, in some way, it felt like my world was colliding, where I was able to actually see the faces on the other side of this camera, and it was just heartwarming.”

Bush Hager, for her part, said, “We didn’t know what to expect. We’ve been talking about it for so long, but we didn’t really know if everybody was gonna show up. We got there, and both of us got kind of teary-eyed immediately. It was really beautiful. Thank you for coming.”

Jones went on to tease that the event was not a one-and-done thing. “We loved it so much, we’re gonna do it again,” she revealed. “So, if you weren’t able to make it, no worries. We’ll do it again. And for me, the bigger point is, thank you for just watching us every day and for connecting with us.”

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