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Jenna Bush Hager Shares Message of Support for Today’s Sheinelle Jones Amid ‘Family Health Matter’
Jenna Bush Hager shared a message of support for Sheinelle Jones after it was revealed that the broadcaster is dealing with a “family health matter.”
Sheinelle, 46, has been missing from Today for several episodes, and spoke out about her absence in a post on Instagram on Wednesday, January 15.
“I sincerely appreciate all of you who have reached out while I’ve been absent from the show. I want to share with you that I’m taking time to deal with a family health matter,” Sheinelle wrote in her post.
“It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to have not on the support of my Today show family, but to also have all of you,” she continued. “Your kindness means so much to me. I’ll see you soon. Love, Sheinelle.”
Jenna, 43, shared a message for her Today colleague in the comments section, writing, “You are a queen and are LOVED beyond measure! Wrapping our arms around you, always,” with a red heart emoji.
Jill Martin has been filling in for Sheinelle amid her absence from Today, as she continues to deal with the matter privately.
Fans began asking for answers on social media after noticing Sheinelle was missing from Hoda Kotb’s final Today episode. Hoda, 60, was surprised with guests and performances during a special farewell broadcast before stepping away from the talk show after 17 years as a cohost on January 10. Her colleagues were present for the celebration except Sheinelle.
Sheinelle, who is one of the people whose name has been thrown around as Hoda’s potential replacement in the show’s fourth hour, is also a fan-favorite host on the network.
In the comments section of Sheinelle’s Instagram post, many people pointed out that the mom of three would be a great addition to the show’s fourth hour next to Jenna.
One person replied to Jenna’s comment on Sheinelle’s post, writing, “@jennabhager she should be your cohost. Period.”
Another person agreed, saying, “I second that!!!!” while a third person chimed in to say, “I AGREE! Having Sheinelle as Jenna’s co-host would save that show! Not happy with different co-hosts every week!”
Currently, Jenna is cohosting the show’s fourth hour, Today With Jenna & Friends, with celebrity guests in each episode, including Eva Longoria and Keke Palmer. Eventually, NBC will name an official cohost for the former first daughter, however, an exact time frame for the decision has not publicly been revealed.
Many think the permanent cohost could be someone who is already in the Today family or a familiar face in the TV world.
“Willie Geist is a name that keeps getting mentioned, he and Jenna get along great, he has a proven track record and the fans seem to love him,” an insider told Closer in November 2024. “Michelle Buteau is another person that the bosses are very keen on giving a chance to and the word is she’ll be getting a chance to cohost and show her stuff, as well as Justin Sylvester and Michelle Collins.”
“Everyone from Sheinelle Jones, who’s already a cohost on the show’s earlier hours, to E’s Justin Sylvester and actress and comedian Heather McMahan have come up,” a source previously told Closer late last year. “It may be someone nobody expects, which could be good and shake things up.”
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