Shaynell Jones shares her three children’s reaction to her appearance on the cover of PEOPLE

Shainelle Jones shared her kids’ reactions when they saw her on the cover of this week’s PEOPLE.

On the Wednesday, January 14th episode of Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, the 47-year-old mother of three spoke with co-host Jenna Bush Hager about this week’s magazine cover story. Jones, who is the mother of 13-year-old twins Clara and Uche Jr. and 16-year-old son Cain, revealed how her children reacted when they saw their mother on the cover.

“So last night I sat them down and I was like, ‘Guys, I’ve got to say something,'” she told Bush Hager, 44, adding that she didn’t want her kids to randomly watch coverage on the way to school in the morning. “They were like, ‘Let’s take a look, let’s take a look.’ So I showed it to them and my child said, ‘Mommy, you look good.’

Mr. Jones continued. “And I hope they do the same when they flip it over and see ‘Facing Loss, Fighting for Joy’ again.”

The daytime talk show co-host encouraged viewers to feel all the different emotions without shame.

“And for you at home, whatever you’re carrying, it’s okay to carry two things,” she said.

Jones welcomed three children with her late husband, Uche Ojie, who died in May 2025 at the age of 45 after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor called glioblastoma. Jones and Auger married in 2007 and welcomed their son, Cain, in August 2009. Twins Clara and Uche Jr. joined the family in July 2012.

Nine months after her husband’s death, Jones says she can feel his presence everywhere, from the yellow butterflies and sunflowers to the tie she gave her son before a recent Model Congress event.

“And I know that he knows,” she tells PEOPLE of her new gig on Today with Jenna & Sheinelle. “He has always supported me. He has helped me keep going.”

Jones said she wants her three children to carry on their father’s legacy “with strength, not pain.” “It hurts that this (loss) is happening to me, but it’s unbearable that it’s happening to my children. As a mother, I just want to protect my children from everything. This is the first thing I couldn’t fix.”

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Although the work is demanding, Jones has learned how to balance work and caring for her children.

“Early in the morning, the kids are still asleep. I try not to do interviews after 3 o’clock so I can pick them up from school,” Jones told Miami Moms. “Early in my career, I felt like I was losing touch with the kids because I was doing interviews before and after school. And once that line was in place, everyone knew it.”

She added that when she’s doing her job as a mom, she tries to be “fully present” so she can give her children her full attention. “When I’m with my kids, I want them to know that I’m with them,” Jones told the magazine. “When I go to (my kids’ sports) games or my daughter’s shows, I try to give it my all.”