It’s a well-known fact that morning TV anchors are imbued with an appealing sense of warmth and relatability. The true test of character? How they behave in the afternoon.
Cut to 12:48 P.M. on a Wednesday afternoon in January, when Jenna Bush and Sheinelle Jones stride into their Today show set for their exclusive Parade cover story interview. Both arrived at Rockefeller Center around dawn, went live for the fourth hour of Today at 10 A.M. sharp (where they talked to Gabrielle Union and Sarah Jessica Parker) and then recorded a second installment to air on Friday. And yet their energy level is somehow still at a 10. Heck, the two are so chatty that they veer into a fun, off-the-record conversation before the first official question.
“I’m not gassed,” Bush Hager—who left her suburban home at 4:45 a.m.—says matter-of-factly. “I always get up in the middle of the night. Yeah, we’re excited.” Echoes Jones, “None of this is lost on me! This is a gift.”
The two are also riding an adrenaline high: Just two days earlier, Today with Jenna & Sheinelle ushered in a new era of the venerable morning show. Originally started by Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford in 2008, the fourth hour of Today has evolved into a light-hearted and occasionally boozy balm to the hard news. “People are coming to us to take the heavy backpacks off,” Bush Hager says. “We want you to sit and laugh and feel good and comforted and hopefully feel like you’re with friends.”
While Bush Hager, 44, has been at it since 2019, she’s co-hosted with a revolving group of guests since Kotb's departure in January 2025. Jones, 47, got the nod in December. Says Bush Hager, “It's not a new face, and that feels really grounding and really exciting because we get to build something new.” Jones’ take: “I think people thought it was a long time coming but it was not like that at all. Listen, Jenna had like 60 co-hosts and I was watching them, too! Each brought something special to the table.”
Jenna Bush Hager’s Mom Didn’t Hover, Even When She Failed AP Spanish (12:12)Jones does, too. The Wichita, Kansas-reared journalist worked her way up the old-fashioned way: After graduating from Northwestern University in 2000, she reported in various local markets and landed at NBC News in 2014. As an anchor of Weekend Today and 3rd Hour of Today, she shared her personal life with viewers—including the heartbreak of losing her husband of 17 years, Uche Ojeh, to glioblastoma in May 2025. Jones is now adjusting to life as a family of four with son Kayin, 16, and 13-year-old fraternal twins Clara and Uche Jr. “I’ve had to learn to be as present as I can in the moment,” she says.
Bush Hager’s road to TV went through the White House. The daughter of President George W. Bush (and granddaughter of 41stPresident George Bush), she was a freshman at the University of Texas when her dad was elected into office. In 2009, she was hired as an education correspondent for NBC News and her extroverted personality soon shined through the screen. “I wasn’t like ‘Let me come host a show,’” she says. “It was nowhere near the realm of possibility.” She wed businessman Henry Hager in 2009, and the pair have three children: Mila, 12, Poppy, 10 and Hal, 6.
Marc J. Franklin/NBC/Today
Before clocking out for the day, Bush Hager and Jones sat down with Parade to share all.
Parade: Sheinelle, when did this all really hit you?
Sheinelle Jones: That very first millisecond when I first walked out, I saw my name on the desk. “Sheinelle” is not a typical name. The teacher couldn't pronounce it on the first day of school. I had to always explain that my mom's name is Sheila, my dad's name is Darnell. To put that all aside and see my name on a table at the network was ... it's surreal even now.
Jenna Bush Hager: I’ve been doing this show for seven years, and I still remember that first-day feeling. The night before, I told my husband, “You're going to have to tranquilize me. I'm so excited.” Both sets of my grandparents loved Today—they loved Willard Scott and Al Roker. The fact that we get to work here is, like ... we never take it for granted.
Related: Jenna Bush Hager Shares Surprising Wedding Revelation on ‘Today’
Was the Today show on in the White House?
Bush Hager: It was on in the White House. It sure was.
What kind of personality do you need to host the fourth hour of Today?
Bush Hager: There has to be a level of openness. And it's a quick pace. Things change really quickly. I mean, it’s a variety show. I think humor is very helpful. And there has to be a level of openness, which Sheinelle has in spades. She has a beautiful, open heart.
Jones: I am willing to learn and challenge myself. And how can we make this show great? If this is the next guest, what would I want to ask them? I love that I still love it. I love that I still care.
What do you remember about meeting each other for the first time?
Bush Hager: I immediately loved her. You know, she's from Kansas, I'm from Texas. We had a lot in common.
Jones: She seemed like a good time, but also smart. She checked all the boxes. I remember calling my mom, and being like, “Mom, she's just so...
Bush Hager: Are you saying the word “normal”?
Jones: Not “normal” because what is normal?
Bush Hager: People do say I’m normal. Like, “How are you so normal?” I think it's a compliment.
Jones: But I actually think you're better than normal. You’ve taken that part of your life and then you've taken what we call “normal,” and you've made it a superpower. So you have the swag of something that no one can take from you, but then you've got the heart of something that a lot of people can't muster. She can drop something like “Yeah, we watched Today in the White House.”
Bush Hager: Yeah, well, she asked!
Jones: But no one can touch it. Yeah, that's a badge. So wear it. I feel honored that she gave me the red rose.
Bush Hager: In the hot tub.
Jenna, do people expect you to be a certain way because of your background?
Bush Hager: I have no idea! I don’t really care, you know? I mean, I was 18 years old when my dad was President. I'm 44 now. What that does is it creates a really thick skin. So the truth is, I can only be myself and not really worry what other people expect.
You two took very different paths to get here. Why did you want to be on TV?
Bush Hager: I was the editor of my school newspaper. It wasn't necessarily about being on TV; I wanted to tell stories. After I was on the show to promote a book that I wrote, the executive producer was like, “You should do this [full time]. Are you interested?” I was like, “Are you kidding me?” I was teaching at a public school at the time and really focused on that. But he kept asking me. Finally, after two years, I was like, “You know what? Maybe I'll come take this interview.”
Jones: When I was in fifth grade, I took a yellow sheet of construction paper and a brown crayon and I drew myself. I scribbled in a little TV box and me with helmet hair and earrings. It was like a vision board before vision boards were a thing. I even put the black-and-white headshots of the local news anchors on display in my bedroom. What 16-year-old does that?
Bush Hager: We did get here in such different ways. When young women ask for advice, I say to be open because you never know. I remember even my grandparents were like, “You're not going to take the interview with the Today show?!” Things can come at you in different ways, but only if you’re open, only if you show up and only if you do the work.
Related: Sheinelle Jones Shares Her Oprah-Inspired Dream for New ‘Today’ Role
Are your kids friends with each other?
Jones: When our kids were smaller and we could bring them on television and they didn't have a choice. We would do a lot of segments with them and take them places like The Museum of Ice Cream. It was a producer’s dream.
When you’re this busy, is it easy to shrug off Mom mistakes?
Bush Hager: No. I can make a mistake on television and write it off. If I do something that would maybe hurt my kids’ feelings, it stays with me until I make the next one. Parenting, to me, is the most important job. So the pressure I put on myself in that arena is way more intense than my time on TV.
Jones: You know, they say you're only as happy as your least happy child. And obviously my kids have gone through a lot, and so I can sit here and I can laugh, but all I care about really and truly is how are my kids doing this morning?
Bush Hager: We’re professional at work, but if we go and have a glass of wine or lunch across the street, all we talk about is kids and the mistakes. The personal stuff is more important.
Do you ever call your moms for parenting advice?
Jones: No. No. Well, first of all, I don’t have to call her. She'll give it to me.
Bush Hager: I call it backseat parenting.
Jones: You know there are some people who are on the phone with their moms all day. But my mom is not a hoverer.
Bush Hager: Neither is mine.
Jones: If I call her right now, she'll answer. If I need her to get here from Kansas, she'll get here. But every day?
Bush Hager: I found a letter that my mom wrote to me at camp when I was 16. I was like a counselor. She was like, “Dear Jenna, we received your AP scores. The bad news, you got a 1 in Spanish. But excellent news, you got a 5 in psychology. And I didn't even know you took AP Psychology.” I think that’s probably why we're successful—we didn't have anybody sitting over and saying, “Do your homework, go do this.” We had to self-motivate.
Jones: I parent that way too, for better or worse. I'm not a helicopter parent. We have boundaries.
Sheinelle, you’ve gone from the lowest of the personal to the highest of the professional. How do you navigate that?
Jones: My highs and lows are coming by the minute, and I don’t see them coming. I can have a great show and then go home and someone’s in tears or “I miss Dad.” Whatever emotion I feel, I lean into it at that time. I remember hearing Tyler Perry talk about grief—he said that if you stay busy, “grief will just wait for you to finish.” And then as soon as you're finished, “Hi, I'm here.” I've taught my kids that. Like, you can do all the things. And if you ignore grief and you don't address it, it'll just calmly wait for you to finish. It will always be there for you. So now grief is like my beautiful stream, and I know it's there. But that doesn’t mean I can’t function.
Related: Sheinelle Jones Says ‘Every Day Is Like Swimming Through Mud’ as She Fights to Find Joy After Husband’s Death
Because Today with Jenna & Sheinelle loves a lightning round game, let’s do one right now. As of today, what’s your favorite movie?
Bush Hager: Love Actually
Jones:My Best Friend’s Wedding
As of today, what book is on your nightstand?
Bush Hager: I can't tell you because I’m still picking for Jenna’s Book Club. But I did recently read two non-work books: The Correspondent [by Virginia Evans] which is beautiful; and Theo of Golden [by Allen Levi], which my dad gave me.
Related: Jenna Bush Hager Names This ‘Stunning Memoir’ Her January Book Club Pick — A Tender Mother-Son Love Story
Jones: Not to be Debbie Downer, but The Hot Young Widows Club by Nora McInerney was the first time I felt really seen. There’s another one called Widow to Widow [by Genevieve Davis Ginsburg] that’s kind of like a What to Expect When You're Expecting if you’re older. I find it comforting. I listen to them on Audible.
As of today, which TV show are you watching?
Bush Hager: We finished The Beast in Me with Claire Danes. It's so good.
Jones: I just finished binge-watching Emily in Paris, and then I just finished Eddie Murphy's documentary [Being Eddie].
As of today, what's your favorite junk food?
Bush Hager: I love a Cheeto—orange fingers and all.
Jones: All the Teddy Grahams. Chocolate and chocolate chip. I need to have a blend.
And as of today, what's your go-to music?
Jones:Olivia Dean. Obsessed. It's actually unhealthy.
Bush Hager: I'm obsessed with Brandi Carlile. Her new album is very good. There's a song called “Me Without You,” which is about kids growing up. I listen and cry, listen and cry.
As of today, what's your favorite thing in your closet?
Bush Hager: It’s pajamas. Because every night, Hal likes to pick out my pajamas. It's a weird thing we do. Usually, it just gives me time to wash my face and brush my teeth before I can go to read to him. Even if I’m in jeans and a sweater and I put on pajamas, I know sleep is near.
Jones: The way she feels about pajamas is how I feel about black leggings. They’ve become my comfort. I have at least 12 pairs of just black leggings.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity
Next up: Jenna Bush Hager Picked These Books in 2025 and Readers Are Still Obsessed
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