Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones on Trust Amidst Change and New Beginnings

Making Space with Hoda Kotb

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4.9 • 10.2K Ratings

🗓️ 4 February 2026

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

After Hoda departed TODAY in January 2025, Jenna Bush Hager spent a year sitting side by side with a rotating group of friends, but as it turns out, her permanent partner was someone who had been part of the TODAY family all along: Sheinelle Jones. On the heels of the launch of "TODAY with Jenna and Sheinelle," Hoda sat down with Jenna and Sheinelle for a SiriusXM Front Row Conversation at SiriusXM’s New York City studios to talk about their official beginning as co-hosts, the lessons Sheinelle has learned in the wake of losing her husband, Uche, and how grief and joy can exist side by side. Plus, what having Sheinelle by her side means for Jenna, and reflections on her path to this moment. (Originally broadcast on SiriusXM TODAY Show Radio.)

Transcript

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0:00.0	There are moments in life when you can't see through the change, but somehow what's ahead is more
0:12.8	beautiful than you ever expected. Well, this is one of those moments.
0:17.5	Jenna Bush-Hager and I sat side by side for years, sharing laughter, tears, and a beautiful
0:23.2	friendship that made it so hard to walk away. Over the last year, Jenna sat down side-by-side with
0:29.2	lots of friends. As it turns out, her permanent friend is someone we both know and love,
0:35.7	Chanel Jones. For Chanel, this season holds so much more than a seat at the table.
0:41.3	She's stepping into something new while navigating the loss of her beloved husband,
0:45.9	Uche, showing us that joy and grief are not opposites, but beautiful companions,
0:51.9	that you can move forward without leaving love behind.
0:56.1	In a moment that made Jenna and Chanel's first day feel full circle,
0:59.7	Kathy Lee Gifford joined me in passing the torch to Jenna and Chanel,
1:03.3	reminding them that when something is built on authenticity and heart,
1:07.7	it does not end. It evolves.
1:14.3	I sat down with Jenna and Chanel for a serious XM front row event on Today Show radio in New York to chat about their new beginning together and all they're
1:19.5	looking forward to as they enter this exciting chapter. This conversation is about new beginnings,
1:25.6	about friendship that holds you steady, about finding
1:28.6	the courage to step into the next version of your life, even when you do not have all the answers
1:34.0	yet.
1:35.2	I'm Hoda Kotopi, and I heard her go, Jenna and she said.
1:54.7	I literally freaked out.
1:57.6	What did it feel like to hear those words? I mean, you've heard them in the open,
2:02.8	but to hear them coming from like an icon like Oprah Winfrey.
	...

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