Sheinelle Jones will sit next to Jenna Bush Hager on the fourth hour of “Today,” the NBC News program reported Tuesday.
The brand extension of NBC News' morning program, which airs daily at 10 a.m., will be rebranded as “Today with Jenna and Sheinelle” on Jan. 12. Since then, Hager has co-hosted the hour with guest hosts. Hoda Kotb left “Today” in January.
Jones, 47, will step back from her duties in the third hour of the program, which will continue Craig MelvinAl Roker and Dylan Dreyer.
The Kansas native has been on leave from “Today” for much of this year due to death of her husband Uche Ojaisurvivor of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. She returned to the program in September.
Jones, a mother of three, has been a regular on the “Today” show since 2014. She joined the program as co-host of the Saturday edition after nine years as a local morning television anchor at the Fox station in Philadelphia. In 2019, she became co-host of the third hour.
The fourth hour of “Today” is a fun daytime talk show with celebrity advice and conversations. NBC News launched the hour in 2007 with Anne Curry, Natalie Morales and Kotb as co-hosts.
The program gained a cult following when it was hosted by Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford and became a gathering of wine moms. Gifford left the program in 2019. and he was succeeded by Hager.
