Shaynell Jones has revealed that her Today colleague Savannah Guthrie taught her “a few things” to help her cope with the death of her husband Uche Ojie.
“One, her father died when she was 16, so she was like, ‘You don’t have to try to be a superhero.’ And she actually helped me a lot,” the anchor told Jenna Bush Hager on Thursday’s episode of the “Open Book With Jenna” podcast.
Ms Jones’ husband, with whom she had 16-year-old Karen and 13-year-old twins Uche Junior and Clara, died of a malignant brain tumor in May last year.
Guthrie himself is in the midst of a family tragedy, with his mother, Nancy Guthrie, missing since February 1st. Her father, Charles Guthrie, died suddenly of a heart attack in 1988 at the age of 49.
Mr Jones, 47, added that the 54-year-old reporter also explained to Karen that it was important for him to remind her that she “doesn’t have to be the father of the house” and that she “can still be a kid”.
“So I really had to rely on my friends,” the mother of three continued. “I have another very close girlfriend who lost her father when she was in fifth grade. She had to rely on friends who had gone through the same thing.”
Jones added that she “really connects with other widows,” calling it a “quiet club.”
Mr. Guthrie first broke the news of Mr. Auger’s death to the United States on behalf of Mr. Jones last spring.
“It is with deep sadness that we share this morning that our dear friend and husband of Today co-host Sheinelle Jones, Uche Ojie, passed away after a courageous battle with an aggressive brain tumor called glioblastoma,” the media mogul said on “Today.”
Guthrie said the pain was “indescribable” and that “Uche was a wonderful person.”
Meanwhile, Jones returned to “Today” in September 2025, replacing Hoda Kotb as Bush Hager’s co-host on “Today with Jenna & Friends.”
At the time, she spoke candidly about returning to work after her partner’s death.
“I was worried that I wouldn’t know how to laugh,” Jones told Page Six. “I was worried that I wouldn’t know how to laugh. I love my job so much, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, what if it’s not the same?'” Because I couldn’t have known this job without him. ”
Guthrie took a hiatus from Today after her mother was first reported missing more than two months ago.
The television personality returned to work on April 6th.
Last month, Guthrie sat down with Kotb for a two-part interview in which he addressed his journey with guilt throughout the ordeal.
“It’s my fault. I just want to say, I’m so sorry, Mom,” she said through tears.
“I am truly sorry,” Guthrie continued. “I’m so sorry to my sister[Annie Guthrie]and my brother[Cameron Guthrie]and my kids and my nephew and my brother-in-law Tommy. I’m so sorry, I would be so sorry if it were me. I’m so sorry.”
She also told Kotb that her beloved mother was likely taken “in the middle of the night, in her pajamas, without shoes and without taking her medication.”
The NBC star didn’t elaborate on whether he believed his mother was still alive, but he did reveal a conversation he had with God early in the search.
“I’m okay with everything, God, I’m okay with everything,” she recalled thinking. “I can’t stand what I don’t know. I can’t stand what I don’t know. I have to know.”
“Then I heard a voice saying, ‘You know where she is. She’s with me. She’s with me,'” Guthrie revealed. “So whether she’s still on this earth or in heaven, I know where she is. I know who she’s with, but we need to know that.”
