EXCLUSIVE:
Sheinelle Jones Opens Up After Her Husband’s Tragic D3ath, From Secret Student Love To A Beautiful Marriage With 3 Children And Ending With A Heartbreaking Tragedy
Sheinelle Jones was just an 18-year-old college kid when she met the man she’d marry. The couple’s love story began in the ‘90s with the sweetest meet-cute. It also includes a rainy day proposal and three beautiful children
Jones, co-host of the third hour of TODAY, is a proud mom of son Kayin as well as twins Uche and Clara with her late husband, Uche Ojeh, who passed away on May 23, 2025 after a battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer at the age of 45.
“There are no words for the pain we feel for Sheinelle and their three young children,” TODAY co-host Savannah Guthrie shared on TODAY. “Uche was an incredible person. We all loved him. And so we want to take a moment to tell you more about the remarkable man who was Sheinelle’s perfect partner in life.”
Through the years, Jones has discussed many lovely moments she had with her husband of 17 years and the family they built together. Read on to learn more about how the couple first met, their children, and more.
Sheinelle Jones and Uche Ojeh smile on Friday, June 14, 2019. Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
How did Sheinelle Jones meet her husband, Uche Ojeh?
Jones and Ojeh first met in the late ‘90s at Northwestern University in Chicago. Jones was an 18-year-old freshman and Ojeh was a 17-year-old high school senior touring the campus with his dad. Jones took matters into her own hands to show him around, as the TODAY co-host shared in a 2024 interview with Northwestern Magazine.
“I was a fake tour guide … I was just walking to class,” Jones laughed. “I told him I would take him around because he was cute.”
During a 2016 segment of TODAY, Jones giggled as she recalled how she noticed Ojeh for the first time. “I remember it was a visitation day, it was called ‘Day at Northwestern,’ and his dad was driving him around and they were lost,” she said. “He pulled me over and was like, ‘Hey, we’re kinda turned around.’”
Jones said they were looking for “some dorm,” and she quickly offered to assist, though she adorably shooed his dad away. “I was like, ‘Oh, you’re so cute! I’ll tell you, c’mon! He’s fine, you can leave him,’” she shared. “And then we started dating.”
They both graduated from Northwestern University, which later served as the touching backdrop of their engagement.
Uche Ojeh proposed to Sheinelle Jones at Northwestern University in the rain
After eight years of dating, Ojeh popped the question. Jones shared on TODAY in 2018 that she thought he might propose a couple times before it actually happened.
“I thought I knew when it was coming, twice, and it didn’t happen,” she told Jenna Bush Hager, adding that the first time she thought he was going to ask the big question happened while they were doing long distance, and Ojeh surprised her with a Tiffany’s box, but it had a bracelet inside. The other time they were on a “romantic” vacation in Cancun, Mexico.
“So then I stopped expecting it, and we were on a trip to Northwestern’s campus,” she said. “It was raining outside, and he was like, ‘Let’s go over by our little spot on the lake.’” Jones recalled that she was initially reluctant to get out of the car in the middle of a rainstorm, but Ojeh convinced her. And once he did, he got down on one knee.
Sheinelle Jones and Uche Ojeh got married in 2007 in Philadelphia
Jones and Ojeh tied the knot in September 2007 in a beautiful ceremony in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In photos Jones shared of their wedding day, the bride looked stunning in a white strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline, while the groom wore a black suit, white tie, and a flower boutonniere.
Sheinelle Jones and Uche Ojeh attend the NAACP LDF 33rd National Equal Justice Awards Dinner at Cipriani 42nd Street on November 07, 2019 in New York City. Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for NAACP LDF
How many children does Sheinelle Jones have?
Two years after they got married, Jones and her husband welcomed their first child together, son Kayin, who was born in August 2009. Nearly three years later, the couple welcomed fraternal twins, son Uche and daughter Clara, in July 2012.
Kayin Ojeh, 15, is in high school
Jones and Ojeh’s oldest child, Kayin, is officially a high school student. In a sweet Instagram post for his 15th birthday in August 2024, Jones reflected on how “time is flying.” She wrote, “15 years ago today … my heart expanded with so much love — I can’t even describe it.”
In December 2024, Jones brought Kayin as her date to an event at the White House with her TODAY co-hosts. “With each passing day, I am so thankful for moments like this. How handsome is my date?” she wrote on Instagram.
Uche and Clara Ojeh, 12, were ball kids at the U.S. open
Now 12 years old, Jones and Ojeh’s fraternal twins are certainly making their mom proud. In August 2023, Uche and Clara got to be “ball kids” for a U.S. Open pickleball match and even met a few tennis legends, including Venus Williams.
“So normally when you watch the @usopen you don’t hear a mom in the audience cheering for the ball kids … but this mom did for her twins,” Jones captioned an Instagram post from the event.
In 2024, Clara appeared in a sweet video with her mom, grandmother, and great-mother, celebrating four generations of women in the family. That same year, Jones shared an update that her son Uche is a mountain climber in training.
Sheinelle Jones and her kids, Kayin, Clara and Uche appear on the Today Show on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
Sheinelle Jones’ husband Uche Ojeh loved to teach their children about their Nigerian heritage
Jones previously shared on TODAY that her husband often taught their three children about their Nigerian roots. “I think it is important to my husband that my kids are brought up knowing his side and his culture,” she said, adding their kids love wearing traditional Nigerian clothing.
In a May 2021 Instagram post, Jones shared several photos of the whole family wearing “native Nigerian wear” as they celebrated a friends’ baptism. They also attended a Nigerian wedding together, where they all wore a variety of beautiful traditional outfits and witnessed special ceremonies.
Sheinelle Jones and her kids, Kayin, Clara and Uche appear on the Today Show on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
Sheinelle Jones teaches her three children that they’re “a team”
In a 2015 essay for TODAY, Jones wrote about the importance of teaching her children to be there for each other as a family while also, as a parent, trying to foster each child’s uniqueness. “I wish I had known earlier how important it is to learn who they are as individuals and feed their own particular needs, while also teaching them that they are a team. It’s a tap dance. Always,” she wrote. “With all three of my children, I try to show them that they’re ALL a team, and they have to take care of each other.”
“At the same time, I’m learning that they each like to know they’re special on their own,” she added. “They will often come to me for individual affirmation and then head back into the ‘group’ ready to play as a team.”
Sheinelle Jones’ husband Uche Ojeh has d!ed of brain cancer
TODAY confirmed the news in May 2025. “With profound sadness, we share this morning that Uche Ojeh, the husband of our friend and TODAY co-host Sheinelle Jones, has passed away after a courageous battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma,” Guthrie reported.
Jones posted a brief message on Instagram in wake of the news: “Thank you, for all of your love and support. ❤️,”
