Sheinelle Jones got emotional while sharing how her recent losses affected her debut book, Through Mom’s Eyes.
On the Monday, March 23, episode of Today, Jones announced that she will soon be hitting the road for a book tour. “What I have learned is that motherhood doesn’t stop, even in the hard times. And the wisdom in this book brought me comfort,” she stated. “So, today, I am moving forward in their honor. I can’t wait to hit the road and share with you what I have learned.”
Through Mom’s Eyes was originally set to hit bookstores in April 2025. However, the book’s release was delayed amid Jones’ months-long break from Today last year. “This was supposed to come out last spring. And the truth is, my husband, Uche [Ojeh], got really sick while I was writing this, and he pushed me to keep going,” Jones explained. “So, I delayed this for a year after he passed because I wanted to be with him and the kids, but I promised him that I wouldn’t give this up.”
Ojeh died at the age of 45 in May 2025 following a private battle with brain cancer. On Today, Jones teared up as she showed a photo of her late husband posing with her late grandmother, Josephine Vonceal Pace Brown, who died at the age of 96 in December 2025.
“These two people believed in me and believed in me most when we talk about this book,” Jones said of the photo.
NBC
Jones further opened up about the book’s release on Monday’s episode of Today With Jenna & Sheinelle. “By the time [Uche] was in hospice, the book was supposed to be out,” she told Jenna Bush Hager. “And I had pushed, and after a while, it was like, ‘I can’t be out promoting. I’d rather be with you and the kids.’ And so, he really wanted me to do it.”
Jones also revealed that her grandmother — who read the book before her death — was initially involved in her upcoming book tour. “We were gonna do a book tour; me, my mom, and my grandmother,” she said. “And we were gonna go out, and she was so excited.”
Jones went on to recall her emotional experience recording the book’s audio version. “Grandmama is all over this book, and she’s in the present tense,” she stated. “They stopped the recording, and the woman said, ‘If you want to, you can make it past tense.’ And I thought, ‘No. Grandmama’s alive. Grandmama’s alive in this book.’”
She continued, “I wrote this when my life was, frankly, falling apart, and motherhood doesn’t stop. That’s what I’ve learned. If anything, the volume turns up when life gets hard. And there were times when I felt alone, and the pages of this book made me feel less alone.”
Through Mom’s Eyes will be released on Tuesday, April 14. The book features a collection of conversations about all things motherhood between Jones and the mothers of celebrities such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lady Gaga, Stephen Curry, and more.
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Today With Jenna & Sheinelle, Weekdays, 10a/9c, NBC
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