Studying Time: 4 minutes
For a number of months now, Immediately viewers have been expressing concern for Sheinelle Jones.
The beloved host’s ongoing absence started because the present was present process some main retooling.
As you’ve seemingly heard, Hoda Kotb has stepped away earlier this 12 months after almost 17 years on the anchors’ desk. And he or she’s been changed by Craig Melvin, who will now be seated alongside Savannah Guthrie for the present’s “flagship hours.”
Clearly, there’s been numerous protection surrounding these adjustments. However Sheinelle’s absence was largely swept beneath the rug.
Sheinelle Jones attends the 2023 Broadcasting + Cable Corridor Of Fame Gala at The Ziegfeld Ballroom on Might 03, 2023 in New York Metropolis. (Picture by Arturo Holmes/Getty Pictures)
The place Is Sheinelle Jones?
In case you’re an everyday Immediately viewer, you may need observed that Sheinelle Jones has been lacking from the present since earlier than Christmas.
She missed the weeklong “Hodabration” in Kotb’s remaining episodes, and curiously, Sheinelle’s colleagues scarcely acknowledged her absence on the time.
“Sheinelle is off,” Al Roker briefly defined on January 10 earlier than introducing her short-term alternative, Jill Martin.
Not surprisingly, the state of affairs has sparked concern amongst followers.
TV personalities Sheinelle Jones and Al Roker attend the nineteenth Annual Submit-Golden Globes Get together hosted by Warner Bros. Photos and InStyle at The Beverly Hilton Lodge on January 7, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Picture by Frazer Harrison/Getty Pictures)
However on the Monday, April 14 episode of Immediately, co-host Craig Melvin addressed Sheinelle’s absence throughout a dialog with visitor correspondent, Entry Hollywood‘s Emily Orozco
“I just talked to her a couple days ago — she’s taking some time to be with her family and we talk to her all the time,” Melvin stated. “We love our girl. It’s been nice to see how much everyone loves her, too.”
“Exactly,” Roker added. “We’re just praying for her.”
The hosts added that Sheinelle has been coping with “a family matter.”
“She misses being here — she misses being here with us, but she’s doing what she needs to do,” Dylan Dreyer stated, including, “She’ll be back.”
Sheinelle’s Response
Earlier this 12 months, the 46-year-old issued an announcement during which she defined that she’s coping with “a family health matter.”
“Hi everybody … I sincerely appreciate all of you who have reached out while I’ve been absent from the show,” Sheinelle wrote on Instagram.
“I want to share with you that I’m taking time to deal with a family health matter,” she continued.
“It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to have not only the support of my Today Show family, but to also have all of you. Your kindness means so much to me.”
The assertion was learn on the air by Savannah Guthrie.
“We know so many of you have been asking about Sheinelle, and missing her, and we miss her, too,” unhappy an emotional Savannah stated after sharing Sheinelle’s phrases.
“Sheinelle, we all love you, and we are so looking forward to having you back,” Craig Melvin added.
An Outpouring of Concern
The replace follows months during which Immediately viewers expressed each day issues about Sheinelle.
And as Parade factors out, Terrace was not alone in her confusion:
TV persona Sheinelle Jones attends the sixtieth Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Sq. Backyard on January 28, 2018 in New York Metropolis. (Picture by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Pictures for NARAS)
“I wonder if she got fired or didn’t take a pay cut or something as they don’t mention her. Best wishes Hoda and best to Sheinelle hope all is well!” a 3rd viewer wrote.
“I loved the HODA bration but really wondered why Sheinelle Jones wasn’t among the cast?” a fourth particular person requested.
Questions Stay
Sheinelle Jones attends The American Coronary heart Affiliation’s Go Pink For Ladies Pink Costume Assortment 2019 Offered By Macy’s at Hammerstein Ballroom on February 7, 2019 in New York Metropolis. (Picture by Theo Wargo/Getty Pictures for AHA)
Some followers took solace in the truth that this was not the primary time she’s stepped away from Immediately.
Sheinelle took a short hiatus in November of 2024 so as to attend a convention.
“I wasn’t here Friday, I went right outside of Philadelphia to speak with the Society of Professional Women,” she stated upon her return on November 18.
On the time, Jones defined that she “stayed until the very end and talked to almost every single one of the women when it was over. I love that kind of stuff.”
Sheinelle’s assertion will quell numerous fears, however we nonetheless know little or no concerning the state of affairs that compelled her to step away. We want Sheinelle and her household all one of the best.
We’ll have additional updates on this growing story as new info turns into accessible.
