Sheinelle Jones replaces Hoda Kotb as Jenna Bush Hager’s co-host and ‘forever friend’ on ‘Today’

Introducing “Today with Jenna & Sheinelle!”

Sheinelle Jones will be Jenna Bush Hager’s new co-host on “Today with Jenna & Friends.”

The “Today” show announced the exciting news via Instagram on Tuesday, writing, “After nearly a year of rotating 60 contenders, Jenna Bush Hager has found her permanent co-host for the fourth hour of TODAY: Sheinelle Jones!”

Jones is set to take her official post on Jan. 12 — though she joined Hager for Tuesday’s episode.

“While Sheinelle will start co-hosting TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle in the new year, Craig Melvin, Al Roker, and Dylan Dreyer will remain co-hosts of the Third Hour,” the statement clarified.

The two women confirmed the news on Tuesday’s episode of “Jenna & Friends” with Hager emotionally revealing, “Over the last year, you guys, I’ve had the privilege of co-hosting this show with 60 incredible friends — I didn’t think I was going to cry before we even started — who’ve opened up to me, who inspired me … today, I’m so thrilled to announce that I’ve found my forever friend and we are going to start a brand new journey in January.

“I couldn’t be more excited to share this person with you all. You all know her; she’s an extraordinary broadcaster but more importantly, she exemplifies what this show is all about.”

She further reflected, “‘Today with Jenna & Sheinelle’ has a nice ring to it.”

Jones immediately stepped out from backstage and took a seat for an interview, saying as she teared up, “I don’t know whether to laugh, cry or scream — I don’t know! … To have a show like this is beyond my wildest dreams, it’s the real deal, and I get to do it with you.”

The broadcast journalist also reflected on how Hager supported her after the death of her husband, Uche Ojeh, in May.

“The country hasn’t seen a Jenna and Sheinelle, I see a higher purpose in it. I feel like it’s divine, but I actually feel a responsibility in it where we can bring joy, we can bring hope, I think we can bring comfort. So just as healing as it is for me, I hope we can bring that for people at home,” she noted.

Hager and Jones also reflected on their parallel careers, especially when they would fill in for Kotb and Kathy Lee Gifford on their 2007 show, “Kathie Lee & Hoda.”

Jones then took her rightful place at the “Today with Jenna & Sheinelle” desk while their co-workers applauded and cheered.

“Here is the truth of the matter. Everyone knows that this time last year was tough for me, a year ago this time, I decided I should step back and be with my husband and we were in a fight,” she told Hager as they both cried.

Jones will be replacing Hoda Kotb, who announced her departure from NBC after 26 years in September 2024.

At the time, the news anchor — who is the mother of daughters Haley, 8, and Hope, 6 — shared that it was time for her to “move on.” She officially left the NBC network in January.

As of March, Page Six heard from an insider that NBC wasn’t “close to naming a permanent co-host” despite celebrities expressing their interest.

Jones, meanwhile, returned to the “Today” show in September after taking a months-long leave as her husband battled brain cancer. He died in May at age 45.

During a pre-taped interview with Savannah Guthrie, she talked about how Ojeh’s death left her “heart shattered into a million pieces.”

“It’s day to day. I’m proud of myself for how I’ve coped so far. I’m proud of my kids for how they’ve been able to try to pull through,” Jones said.

“There are times where if I could just stay in bed … it would be amazing, but I can’t do that because I have three little beings who are watching me,” she added, referring to their kids: Kayin,16, and 13-year-old twins Clara and Uche.