Shanell Jones returned to the “Today” show on Friday, more than four months after her husband Uche Oje died after fighting a brain tumor.
She candidly detailed her “terrifying” loss of “heart shattered” in a pre-taped interview with Savannah Guthrie on Friday.
“It sucks,” the 47-year-old said in tears. “It’s day to day. I’m proud of myself for how I’ve dealt with it so far. I’m proud of my kids for how they tried to pull out.”
“I found beauty in a nightmare,” Jones was missing from the popular NBC broadcast after a colleague announced that Ojeh had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and died in May. He was 45 years old.
She admits on Friday that the experience is “scary” and that her “heart still hurts” but “fights for (her) joy” and repeats their love story “again” knowing the ending.
Jones said, “If I could stay in bed… that would be amazing, but I can’t do that because there are three little beings watching me.”
After a prior interview that she touched on, she appeared to her colleagues and called her “oxygen” and “cries all yesterday.
When news broke about Jones’ loss in May, Guthrie said: “In grief, I share this morning that Uuche Ogier died after a brave battle with an aggressive brain tumor called glioblastoma.
“There is no word about the pain we feel in Seanel and her three young children,” the 53-year-old continued, sobbing. “Ushu was an incredible person and we all loved him.”
Craig Melvin also broke Jones’s late husband with tears, but Al Roker remembered Ogier as “wickedly funny” and “humble.”
In late 2024, Jones took a long vacation from the morning show when Ogier personally fought the illness.
This week, her co-stars announced the exciting news that Jones is finally back on set.
“Our beloved Shanell is back on the show,” Guthrie told viewers, “She and her family have gone through a lot after the devastating loss of her husband Uche.
Guthrie shared that she and Jones sat down for the emotional interview that was shown on her return home.
“We’ve been sitting together recently. We’ve really shared a personal conversation, talked about how she went on and found the strength of the past few months,” Guthrie said.
“We can’t wait to welcome Shaynell’s house in our studio, where she belongs.
Jones and her late husband tied the knot in 2007 and shared Ushu with three children, 16 and 13-year-old twins Clara.
