From Fairmount to the Today Show: The Journey of Sheinelle Jones

Today show personality Sheinelle Jones, who is from Philadelphia / Photograph by Kyle Kielinski

Sheinelle Jones, 47, was born in Fairmount but spent much of her childhood in Kansas. She came home in 2005 when she landed a big gig: co-hosting Good Day Philadelphia with Mike Jerrick. In 2014, she departed once again, this time to New York to join the Today show. She started there as a reporter, rose through the ranks, and in mid-January became co-host of a fourth hour of the show. Her partner on camera? Jenna Bush Hager, as in the daughter of George W. Here, Jones talks about grieving her late husband, her mission to help her national audience feel good in spite of what’s happening in the world, and how she and Jerrick were “a match made in heaven.”

Hi, Sheinelle. Before we go any further, I need to ask you about the i in the middle of your name, which doesn’t seem to be reflected in how people pronounce it. It kind of doesn’t make any sense.
[Laughs] My name sounds like “Chanel.” My mom’s name is Sheila and my father is Darnell, so my dad’s sister had the genius idea, when I was born, to put the two names together and spell it Sheinelle. It’s counterintuitive. I once had a manager ask me to change the spelling to “Shenelle” to make life easier for viewers. But I said, Nah, Sheinelle is my name.

And now that name is written out next to “Jenna” in big letters at the big desk you sit at every morning to co-host Jenna & Sheinelle.
It’s funny. Fast-forward all those years from that conversation I had with the manager about changing my name, and I then walked out and saw it on the desk and had a little moment.

“Our goal is to uplift you and have a good time,” says Jones, here with co-host Jenna Bush Hager on the first day of Jenna & Sheinelle.  / Photograph by Marc J. Franklin/NBC/Today

Yes, I was watching that first episode, and it all seemed to bring a tear to your eye.
It really did. I felt like I was in A Christmas Carol, where I come out of my body and watch my life. And then they were playing all these clips from my early days in TV. It was like a This Is Your Life thing. In that moment, perhaps for the first time, I really gave myself credit for the hard work I put into this.

I know you were born in Philadelphia, a city that you’d return to decades later for Good Day Philadelphia, but I read that you spent much of your childhood in Wichita. Tell us about that?
My mom and dad were college sweethearts, and they moved to Philly right after graduation. I was born here, but then they divorced. My mom was from Wichita originally, so I moved there with her and spent summers with my dad in Philly. I have so many photos from Beechwood Street in Fairmount and from Wildwood. My parents both remarried when I was little, so I have a blended family. I always joke that we are the Black Brady Bunch.

Was journalism something you aspired to from a young age?
I remember telling my grandmother, Josephine, that I wanted to be a hairstylist, and she said, “Okay, you can be like Miss Lillian,” who used to do her hair. And then I was like, “Grandma, I want to be a fashion coordinator,” and she said, “Okay, absolutely.” And then my mom would let me take clothes out of her closet and I would say, “You should wear this shirt with these pants.” Whatever I came up with, my mom and grandmother never said I couldn’t or shouldn’t. But I do distinctly remember telling my grandmother that I wanted to be a news reporter. I’d seen a woman reporter on TV and admired her, and said, “I want to be her!” My grandmother’s eyes lit up in a way I hadn’t seen before. By the time I got to Northwestern for college, I had already done some internships in media. I had all this experience. And then at Northwestern, I had another internship, and then another, and then another — climbing the ladder one step at a time. When it came time to graduate, I think I sent out 44 VHS tapes of myself to news stations all over the place and just waited for a callback. Thank God it all worked out.

You popped around media markets in the Midwest and South before landing the Good Day Philadelphia job in 2005, where you co-hosted with Mike Jerrick, who is a real character. Now be honest: What was it like working with that guy every day?
Mike is one of my best friends — I just talked to him earlier today! When we first met, we started talking about our lives. And I was like, “Wait, you’re from Wichita? So am I!” And he’s like, “I grew up on Terrace.” I grew up on Terrace! Not only did we grow up on the same street, decades apart, but our moms went to the same high school. You can’t make sense of it, but I’ve always felt it was divine. The good Lord brought me back to Philly, to live and work and be in the city that was so much a part of the fabric of my life. I started as a morning reporter, then moved to the desk one day, and the rest is history. Mike and I were a match made in heaven.

Sheinelle Jones with Good Day Philadelphia’s Mike Jerrick in 2013 / Photograph by Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images

You’re in New York now. But do you get back to Philly much?
All the time. My brother and dad are there; my friends are there. I’ll go to see Mike, or someone is having a party, and it’s only an hour-and-15-minute train ride on Acela. Once or twice every few weeks, I’m in town.

I feel the need to interject some fun trivia here. Your dad, C. Darnell Jones, is a federal judge in Philadelphia. And who nominated him to the bench? None other than your new co-host’s dad, aka George W. Bush, back when he was president.
[Laughs] You’ve done your homework! Isn’t that crazy?! You know, when I got the job on Good Day, they didn’t know that my father was a judge. And I remember telling them, and they asked me why I hadn’t mentioned that in the interview. I just wanted the job on my own.

I put in this interview request several weeks ago, right after I heard that you’d be launching the new show with Jenna. Had no idea we’d wind up talking just two days after the launch, or that just this morning, People magazine would unveil their new cover with you on it. And now I’m hearing that you have a book coming out next month. Exciting times!
They are beyond. And when the head of our publicity department told me that this interview was for Philly Mag, can I tell you something? I always loved flipping through the pages of the magazine. My goal for so long was just to be invited to a Philly Mag party. So this is surreal for me. This is not lost on me. I am honored to talk with you. Philadelphia has really carried me. When people in Philadelphia love you, they love you hard. It’s where I was born; it’s where my three children were born; it’s where I was married. Philadelphia will always be such a special part of me. And so the fact that I’m talking to you during such a momentous week in my life just makes sense.

Sheinelle Jones gracing the cover of People / Photograph by Brian Doben

I’ll pass along your interest to our events department. I’m sure you’ll get a party invite right quick.
[Laughs]

When I think of the Today show, I think of the 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. portion, where you started as a reporter, and vividly remember watching Matt Lauer and Katie Couric narrate the terrible events of September 11th. Then there’s the 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. portion, which you used to co-host. And then there’s the fourth hour that you’re now permanently co-hosting, following Hoda Kotb’s departure. But I’ve also heard that you’ll still be involved with other portions. Can you explain?
I’ll be on from 7 to 9 doing reports and filling in anchoring — I’m not going anywhere from that. News is embedded in me. It’s part of my DNA. If something happens in Venezuela, I’m talking about it. Then as we get closer to 9 o’clock, you start seeing celebrity guests; we might be talking about new movies or whatever the hot show is. And then from 9 to 10, it’s like if news and a talk show had a baby. And for Jenna & Sheinelle in the fourth hour, it’s “Let’s sit down and talk a little bit and make you feel good.” We already know what’s happening in our world. We know what’s happening in our country. Our goal is to uplift you and have a good time. That’s what the last hour is all about. All morning long, I get to use both sides of the brain, the whole skill set that I’ve gained over the years. This is my dream. It’s amazing.

I’ve watched Jenna & Sheinelle and, you know, it’s very light and smiley. There’s a lot of laughs. So I have to ask you, in the context of the loss of your husband, Uche, in May — and my condolences on his passing — if people see you in this lighthearted role and assume you’re quote-unquote “all better” and done grieving, because you’re capable of having a hoot with Jenna.
I’m so happy you asked me that question. What I hope I can show for people who may not understand is that you’re able to still find joy. You’re still able to laugh in a moment or find something funny. But that doesn’t mean there’s not pain inside, right? For me, grief is like swimming through mud every day. And so if you see me on the set and we’re having a good time, it’s not because I’m “all better” or “cured” or I’m not grieving. It’s because I’m able to hold two things at the same time. For me, that is the only way to go, even if I don’t want to. I owe it to myself, I owe it to Uche, I owe it to our kids to try. There are some days where I just don’t have it in me, and that’s okay, too — I’ve learned to forgive myself if I don’t have it in me. But for the most part, you know, you push through. It’s what you have to do. It’s what I do.

Sheinelle Jones with husband Uche Ojeh in 2019 / Photograph by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images

What’s it like for your kids having a mom on TV?
It’s all they’ve ever known. I remember being in the grocery store in Philly with my son Kayin, who was maybe three at the time, and people would just come up to me. Sometimes, he would be eating a cheese stick and just smile. Other times, he’s like, “Why are you talking to my mom?” Everybody feels like they’re my friend, so they talk to me and they talk to my kids. Doesn’t mean the kids love it all the time, but they’re used to it.

You’ve been on TV for a quarter of a century. What’s the future of the industry?
I was just talking to one of my professors at Northwestern about the state of journalism, and I was telling her the one thing I think that remains true: Even though the business is changing in terms of how we consume news, there will always be a need for storytelling. Good storytelling. People will always have a desire to hear other people tell stories and to make it all make sense, right? I don’t think that will ever go away.

Speaking of telling stories, your book, Through Mom’s Eyes: Simple Wisdom From Mothers Who Raised Extraordinary Humans, comes out on April 14th, in plenty of time for Mother’s Day. Can you give me a preview?
When I started at Today, we’d obviously have so many celebrities coming through, and I had this idea to interview their moms. It became a digital series for Today. I wanted to know what they did right, what they did wrong, what they would do differently. Keep in mind I had three young kids on my hands and was juggling a lot, so this was of direct interest to me. First was Steph Curry’s mom, then Shaq’s, then Kevin Durant’s, then Lady Gaga’s, then Venus and Serena’s, then Lin-Manuel Miranda’s. They were just so delightful and had really beautiful stories to share. I would spend more than an hour with them but the final product might be only five minutes of video, and I realized I had so many more stories to share from them and from myself. So the book is what I have learned from these women and what I have learned as a mom along the way. I cannot wait for everybody to read it.

My daughter, a college freshman, sent me a question to ask you, and it actually connects with something that surprised me about the very first episode, which started with a video of you and Jenna both getting out of your beds that morning — no makeup on, your hair not done. This was a striking thing to see, in an industry that puts so much emphasis on appearance, particularly for women. And so my daughter’s question is this: How do you deal with sexism and scrutiny as a woman on national television?
It never crossed my mind for one nanosecond that morning that I didn’t have on makeup, and Jenna didn’t think about it either. Listen, I love fun clothes, I love glam, I love hair and makeup, I love “lights, camera, action.” I’m not going to report the news at 7 a.m. without foundation on, and when I go to the Met Gala, I will find the best dress and have the best hair and makeup. But there also needs to be a place for being real and authentic. If I’m talking to the camera right when I get out of bed, or if I’m doing a story about fitness while I’m in the middle of exercising and the camera is on me, no, I’m not going to put on mascara for that. Tell your daughter that the older you get, you learn that your real superpower is being yourself. Once you can step into that and wear it, you’re not going back.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Published as “Morning Glory” in the March 2026 issue of Philadelphia magazine.