Sheinelle Jones Lays Bare ‘Beautiful Nightmare’ of Husband Uche Ojeh’s Cancer Battle as She Breaks Her Silence on His Devastating Death

NBC host Sheinelle Jones broken her silence on the "beautiful nightmare" she experienced while watching her husband, Uche Ojeh, battle brain cancer as she opened up about his death in an emotional interview on the "Today" show.

The 46-year-old is a co-host on the third hour of "Today," alongside Al Roker and Dylan Dreyer, having joined the star-studded team in 2014, when she quickly became a household name.

In January, fans expressed concern for Jones after she was noticeably absent for a long period of time—a reaction that prompted the star TV personality to reveal she had been dealing with a "family health matter" that was later revealed to be the death of her husband.

On Sept. 5, Jones made a soul-stirring comeback on the morning show for a tearjerking interview with Savannah Guthrie, during which she candidly revealed how she has coped with the death of her husband, who passed away in May.

"My heart is shattered into a million pieces. The life that I've known since I was 19, is no more. I don't run away from crying anymore when it comes to grief. I see it as, 'OK, here comes my cleansing rain,' and it's OK," she said at the beginning of the clip.

Jones noted that she is taking things "day to day," before revealing that she is "proud" of herself for "how I have coped so far."

"It's horrible. It's just horrible. It stinks, but I am here and I'm OK," she added.

Guthrie then branded the situation a "nightmare," to which Jones replied, "It's a beautiful nightmare."

"Uche and I were college sweethearts, and I remember when he was 17, and I was 19 and we were sitting in my dorm room at Northwestern and we had this beautiful view of the clock tower, and we would stare at the view and just talk or sometimes not talk, and just be," she recalled.

"Fast forward almost 30 years, I am sitting in this beautiful hospital room, and we were looking at the beautiful view of New York City, and here we are again, not talking.

"I remember staring out the window and thinking, "Oh my God, it's like this crazy full circle moment. Here we are again, not talking.' It feels like a crazy, beautiful nightmare, and it felt scary, it felt divine, it felt bigger than us, but at the end of the day, when we shut the door, and it was just us, that's when we felt like we were at our best. My 19-year-old self did it and my 47-year-old self was doing it again.

"We always held hands, and the nurses would come in and they would call us the lovebirds because we just loved each other so much. So it was a nightmare, but I found beauty in the nightmare, so that's why I call it a beautiful nightmare.

"And trust me, it is a nightmare to watch a 45-year-old do a triathlon, and live and breathe off of soccer and his kids, and two different clubs, and an avid reader of books and knowledge, and someone who just loved life...

"And to take a guy like that and watch him have to deal with this was a nightmare, but the way he fought it, the way we rallied together, and the way we got to deal the best of humanity, that was beautiful."

Jones confessed that their family finds it most difficult on the "beautiful days" because those are the days that Uche would have taken them out for family activities.

"There's this huge hole in our lives, and it's just trying to learn how to walk and breathe with that, it's tough," the NBC star said.

"People think I am the social one because I am on TV and it's actually him," she said before admitting that she feels "pressure" when it comes to her children because she "can't be your dad."

Jones, who tied the knot with Ojeh in 2007 and shared three children—son Kayin, 15, and twins Clara and Uche, 13—with him, then took viewers back to the very beginning of her late husband's diagnosis, confessing that her family has been dealing with this for a "very long time."

"So what people don't know is that we have been dealing with this for a very long time, I would say a weeks before I ran the marathon," she said, revealing that Uche has been sick since November 2023.

Jones then reflected on her time on the show, where those that knew about her husband's diagnosis claimed she was "good at faking" her joy—something she said bothered her because she was joyful because she believed her husband was going to beat cancer.

"I would do the show and then hop in the car and go be with him during chemo. We have the best guardian angel," she said.

"Once he got that diagnosis, it was my turn to protect him, and I did it at all costs," Jones added.

Jones then choked back tears as she revealed that her love for her husband "got stronger" during his devastating diagnosis.

"When he was dying, I would look at him and say, 'I would do this all over again,'" Jones said of their 28-year-long relationship.

Speaking about how her children were handling the death of their father, Jones revealed, "That's what makes this harder. There are times where if I could just stay stay in bed, not answer my phone, keep the door closed, and just sit, it would be amazing. But I can't do that because I have three little beans that are watching me, and I want them to be proud of me and how I handled so I keep running.

"There's going to be a time where I don't know if it will ever make sense, but we can just be again," she said.

During one of their "family meetings," Jones asked one of her children how they were doing and they replied, "Well, I used to cry a lot, I cried a lot at school; but now, I think of dad and I smile," which brought tears to Jones' eyes.

"I hope I can get to that place where I can think of this college romance aside and think of the happy times and make more room for gratitude," she added.

Jones revealed that she ultimately decided to take a leave from NBC because she "didn't know what tomorrow would bring."

"It was getting harder to be here in the morning," she added.

"He was not very happy with me when I told him I was going to take a leave from work. It was a beautiful time, I had all the days fully. I was present. I tried to be present for the kids," she said.

Speaking about how she mourns her husband, Jones said, "I don't run away from crying anymore when it comes to grief. I don't fear it anymore"

"Cancer doesn't have to steal our joy; we can get up, we can get out of bed, and we can go to work and we can go to school, we can squeeze the most out of the days we have.

"I hope that by me being on this set and me returning to work, it's like, 'If I can do it, so can you, and don't get me wrong—my heart still hurts, but we are going to fight for our joy," she said speaking to others going through the same thing.

At the end of the interview, she thanked her "Today" costars for being her "oxygen" through the devastating journey, revealing that cohost Roker even came to the hospital to show his support and brought Jones' children breakfast.

"When people show me kindness, I cry. My light is still in here, sometimes it's overshadowed by darkness but it's still there," she said at the end of the interview.

The "Today" show team announced that Jones would be returning to the morning show on Friday, Sept. 5, for the first time since December.

"We've got some other great news that we are so excited to share with you, and it involves a member of our own 'Today' family," Craig Melvin said.

"Yes, our beloved Sheinelle will be returning to the show. She and her family have been through so much after the devastating loss of her husband, Uche," Guthrie added.

Guthrie revealed that the pair sat down for an emotional heart to heart, which will air Friday and mark Jones' return.

"We recently sat down together. We shared a really personal conversation, talking about how she has carried on and found the strength these past few months. She calls this experience a 'beautiful nightmare.' And she has thoughts on grief that are so touching.

"She's got a special message of hope too for anyone facing their own struggles, and we will share that with you. And we cannot wait to welcome Sheinelle home, right where she belongs, right here in our studio, Studio 1A on Friday," Guthrie said.

Guthrie announced the news of Jones' husband's death on May 23, while expressing her "profound sadness" for her friend.

"With profound sadness, we share this morning that Uche Ojeh, the husband of our dear friend and "Today" cohost Sheinelle Jones, has passed away after a courageous battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma," Guthrie told viewers.

"There are no words for the pain that we feel for Sheinelle and their three young children. Uche was an incredible person. We all loved him."

Jones and Ojeh and were living together at a stunning property in Livingston Manor, NY, when the "Today" host stepped back from her hosting duties to support her husband.

Following the announcement on the "Today" show, Jones took to Instagram to thank fans for their "support."

In January, she revealed that she was taking an extended break from the popular morning show to deal with a "family health matter"—while assuring fans that she would return to her on-air role when the time was right.

However, her dedicated fanbase began to raise concerns about Jones' welfare when she vanished from their screens without an explanation after Dec. 18—leading some viewers to question whether she had quietly left the show.

Jones revealed the reason for her absence while issuing a short statement on Instagram in which she thanked fans for their support while promising that she would "see you soon."

"I sincerely appreciate all of you who have reached out while I’ve been absent from the show," she wrote. "I want to share with you that I’m taking time to deal with a family health matter.

"It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to have not on the support of my 'Today' show family, but to also have all of you," she added. "Your kindness means so much to me. I’ll see you soon."

She then signed off the emotional post: "Love, Sheinelle."

At the time, a source told People that the situation was "serious;" however, it didn't involve her or her children.

The insider added to the outlet that the TV star was grateful for the love she has received from the network during such a challenging time.

"Sheinelle appreciates the support she’s received from fans and viewers in her absence. She’s especially grateful for her tight-knit 'Today' show family and co-hosts, for all their love during a sensitive time," the unnamed source said.

Although Jones did not reveal where Ojeh passed away, the couple's primary residence is the Livingston Manor home, which was last purchased for just under $1.4 million in December 2020.

According to Realtor.com® estimates, the property is now worth upward of $2 million.

The home offers 4,762 square feet of living space on 53 acres with a "large stocked pond" and an in-ground heated pool, per its original listing description.

Inside the property, there is a library, formal dining room, and an enormous master suite, while there is an additional four-bedroom, two-bath guesthouse.

It's thought that Jones and her family moved into the home after returning from a five-month getaway in South Carolina, where they quarantined during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the time, the "Today" host voiced her excitement at the prospect of beginning a "new adventure," while gushing about the time that she and her loved ones had been able to spend isolating in such a picturesque location.

"Time to start a new chapter!" she wrote in an Instagram post highlighting her favorite images from their stay. "The last five months have been filled with so much uncertainty, but having this time together as a family has been the silver lining.

"It’s easier to stay isolated when you’re with people you love. (I wish I would’ve journaled!!!)... So thankful for what this time has taught me .... and the healing power of nature. Until next time South Carolina!"

Although Jones and her husband own a property outside of New York City, they did live in a Manhattan apartment at one point—with the on-air personality proudly flaunting the space in a story posted on Today.com.

She explained to the online outlet that she fell in love with the home's high ceilings, corner window and hardwood floors, having moved into the home after their family relocated from Philadelphia when she landed the role on "Today."