Heartbreaking update about Today host who vanished months ago to deal with ‘family health matter’

The stars of Today’s third hour have said they’re sending ‘thoughts and prayers’ to long-missing co-host Sheinelle Jones – offering their first update on the matter since she abruptly stopped appearing on the program late last year.

As a result, Craig Melvin, Al Roker, and Dylan Dreyer have been forced to fill the show’s third hour themselves – all while avoiding the proverbial elephant in the room that is Jones’s absence.

She’s been gone since December – weeks after Melvin was named co-anchor of NBC Today ahead of Hoda Kotb’s exit in early 2025.

A storm of speculation ensued, leading a previously silent Jones to speak out weeks later, to say only she was taking time to deal with an unspecified ‘family health matter.’

Offering a rare update without giving anything away, Melvin, Roker and Dreyer let fans know how Jones is doing, during a Today segment filmed Friday

Speaking from an unconventional setting – a cruise ship moored in Miami – the trio also offered their best wishes.

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Sheinelle Jones has been missing from Today since December – weeks after Craig Melvin was named co-anchor of NBC Today ahead of Hoda Kotb ‘s exit

In the four months since, her cohosts left manning Today’s third hour – Al Roker, Melvin, and Dylan Dreyer – have not offered an update, until a segment that aired last Friday filmed on a cruise ship in Miami

‘I just talked to her a couple days ago – she’s taking some time to be with her family,’ Melvin, 45, said of Jones, after Access Hollywood’s Emily Orozco about how he was ‘settling into [his] new role.’

The former Today first contributor credited ‘his colleagues’ into making his transition ‘so doggone easy’ – paving the way for Orozco to ask about Jones, a married mom-of-three who joined Today in 2019.

‘We talk to her all the time,’ he continued of his would-be cohost. ‘We love our girl. It’s been nice to see how much everyone loves her, too.’

His remarks saw Roker, 70, immediately perk up, to offer some seemingly impromptu words on the matter.

‘Exactly,’ he added, his voice cracking slightly as he spoke – four months removed from Jones stepping away

‘We’re just praying for her,’ he continued, his voice riddled with emotion.

‘She misses being here,’ Dreyer, 43, added – before making a more full-throated declaration during a segment that had been centered around the MSC World America’s maiden voyage that kicked off Friday

‘She’ll be back… she misses being here with us, but she’s doing what she needs to do,’ Dreyer, in turn, said.

Pictured: Craig Melvin with son Delano and Sheinelle Jones with her kids, Uche, Kayin and Clara in April 2023

Jones – who has been wed to husband Uche Ojeh since 2007 and frequently posts photos and video of her immediate and not immediate family – has yet to offer an explanation, aside from a social media post in Janaury penned weeks into her absence

In it, the mom-of-three said only she was taking time to deal with a ‘family health matter’, with neither she nor the network offering any other details since

While not providing much insight on the matter, their statements bolster one offered by Jones herself on Instagram back on January 15.

Then nearly a full month into her unexplained absence, she told followers who had shown concern:  ‘Hi everybody… I sincerely appreciate all of you who have reached out while I’ve been absent from the show.

‘I want to share with you that I’m taking time to deal with a family health matter.’

She added: ‘It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to have not only the support of my Today Show family, but also have all of you.

‘Your kindness means so much to me. I’ll see you soon.’

The statement, at the time, spurred some conversation from her colleagues – with Melvin and Savannah Guthrie both acknowledging on-air that Jones was away dealing with a ‘personal family health matter.’

‘She thanked everyone for their kindness and concern about her. So many of you have been asking about Sheinelle and missing her, and he we miss her, too,’ Guthrie, who started out on the third hour before being promoted to her current post, said.

‘Sheinelle, we all love you and we are so looking forward to having you back,’ Craig added, fueling already rife speculation she is dealing with something serious.

Her cohosts statements Friday served as the first update on the family (seen here in December) in four months

All said they were still in touch with the longtime host, who joined Today back in 2019. She is seen here in 2023 with son Kayin, 14, and twins Clara and Uche, both 12

Jones –  who has been wed to husband Uche Ojeh since 2007 and frequently posts photos and video of her immediate and not immediate family – has yet to publish a post since her sole statement on the matter.

She last appeared on the program back on December 18.

Since her social media post in January, the official explanation both she and Today continue to offer is her taking time away for a ‘family health matter.’

In total, she has three kids with Ojeh, all three of which visited the Today set this time in 2023. All – including Ojeh – appeared in a series of photos posted by Jones to her Instagram during Christmas in December.

DailyMail.com has reached out to NBCUniversal for comment.