Sheinelle Jones’ Husband Uche Ojeh Passes Away at 45: Katie Couric Responds

Katie Couric is sending her heartfelt support to a fellow member of her Today show family.

The former coanchor of the NBC morning program took to Instagram on Friday, May 23, to honor Sheinelle Jones’ husband, Uche Ojeh, who sadly passed away at the age of 45. “Sending so much love, support, and sympathy to @sheinelle_o following the loss of her cherished husband Uche after a courageous battle with glioblastoma,” she shared alongside a photo featuring the couple.

Couric, 68, expressed, “My heart breaks for her and their three children. Please keep them in your thoughts. Love you, Sheinelle 💔.”

Having departed from her role as Today’s coanchor in 2006, Couric made her exit eight years before Jones, 47, joined the lineup as a cohost of Weekend Today. Since 2019, Jones has co-hosted the show’s third hour with Al Roker, Craig Melvin, and Dylan Dreyer.

Jones has been away from Today since December 2024. In January, she clarified on Instagram that she was “taking time to manage a family health matter.” During Friday’s Today broadcast, Savannah Guthrie reported the sad news about Ojeh’s passing after a private battle with glioblastoma.

“There are no words for the sorrow we feel for Sheinelle and their three young children. Uche was a remarkable person. We all loved him,” Guthrie, 53, tearfully stated.

The broadcast featured a video highlighting the couple’s most significant moments, from their courtship as students at Northwestern University to their 2007 wedding and their journey into parenthood with three children — son Kayin, 15, and twins Clara and Uche, 12.

“We just want to say Sheinelle, Kayin, little Uche, and Clara, the Ojeh family, we are with you. We love you,” Guthrie added. “You are our family, and we are sending all of our love to you during this time.”

Jones addressed the loss of Ojeh by sharing her colleagues’ heartfelt on-air tributes on Instagram. “Thank you for all of your love and support ❤️,” she wrote along with the clip on Friday.

Couric experienced a similar heartache when she lost her first husband, Jay Monahan, to colon cancer at age 42 in 1998. The couple, married in 1989, had daughters Ellie, 33, and Carrie, 29. She later found happiness with her husband, John Molner, whom she married in 2014.

Couric became a grandmother in March 2024 with the arrival of Ellie and her husband Mark Dobrosky’s son, John. Her grandson was named in honor of Jay, whose full name was John Paul Monahan.

Earlier this year, Couric shared exclusively with Us Weekly that her husband’s legacy is carried on through their children and little John. “Now, whenever I see Baby Jay, I think of my Jay and Ellie and Carrie’s Jay,” she expressed in March while promoting a golf tournament aimed at raising awareness for colon cancer.

“I always think about how proud he would be of them,” she added. “So, he is often in our thoughts.”