Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones have to appear on an hour of live TV every weekday, so it’s a good thing they have a lot to talk about.
The duo’s first week on NBC’s “Today” fourth hour, Jones and Hager stopped by to discuss everything from family tragedies to maintaining weight loss with Oprah Winfrey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Marcelo Hernandez and even the show’s predecessors Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb.
“We want people to leave a little bit happier than they came in,” Bush Hager said in an interview less than an hour after the duo’s first official telecast. She has appeared on “Today” since 2009, and since 2019 she has appeared as the exclusive host of the 10:00 am broadcast. Over the past year, NBC News worked with a series of guest anchors to determine who would replace Kotb on screen.
While on-screen chemistry is never guaranteed, Jones and Bush Hager are no strangers to each other. Bush Hager said most of the morning show’s staff went on interviews during past Olympics, but they stayed back “just in case something happened” and built stronger bonds. During that time, the two “spent two weeks just together” for three hours a day.
NBC is betting that Jones’ warmth and Bush Hager’s spirit will be a formidable combination in the never-ending battle for daytime TV viewers. The 10 a.m. time slot represents NBC’s bid to compete for late-night live ratings and carve out some of the ground carved out by ABC’s syndicated “Live,” starring spouses Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, and CBS’ “Drew Barrymore.” The network has long urged the hosts of the 10 a.m. Today show to be more relaxed than those in the show’s earlier hours. And you may need to. In this age of digital media, there are competitors in every field to consider, from Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast to the many TikTok personalities offering advice and inspiration.
This first week served as a way for the hour’s viewers to get to know Jones better. She often tapped her hand on the desk to signal excitement, and viewers learned her story of graduating from Northwestern University, interning at KWCH in Wichita, Kansas, and working at WTXF in Philadelphia. The producers invited Cassandra Fleming, one of the show’s early inspirations, to join the cast, much to the surprise and tears.
“I was trying to stay calm,” Jones admitted. “I was shocked.”
There may be other times when you get emotional, but that’s okay, the co-host says. Jones said she is still dealing with the recent death of her husband, Uche Ojeh, who died in 2025 after a months-long battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
“In a way, I’m living what the audience is watching in real time,” Jones says. “If you can put it that way, I’m not on the other side of that. I don’t know if you’re on the other side. I’m processing it, but I’m still pretty close to it.” But she hopes audiences will follow him along his path. “My hope is that they understand that even though I have one thing that is pretty tough, I can still wake up every day and look for a new challenge.”
Working with Bush Hager gives Jones a chance to let audiences see a different side of her. Bush Hager said the fourth hour of “Today” is “a little bit different than a straight news show. There’s a lot of room for individuality, there’s a lot of room for dreams and hopes.” No doubt, viewers will see more as the two do more shows.
