Sheinelle Jones received some words of wisdom for her new job from someone who’s been there.

On the Dec. 9 episode of TODAY with Jenna & Friends, Jenna Bush Hager announced Sheinelle will be her new co-host on what will be called TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle.

After she sat down with Jenna, Sheinelle said she got a phone call the night before from Hoda Kotb while she was at a dance recital for her daughter, Clara. Sheinelle slipped out into the lobby for a quick chat.

“I said, ‘Hey,’” Sheinelle recalled.

“She goes, ‘Don’t say anything. Just listen,’” Sheinelle said. “And she gave me, like, 45 seconds of just wisdom that changed me, and I’ll give you one part of it. She said, ‘You’re going to be doing graduation speeches and all that. I promise you.’ She goes, ‘Let’s remember this moment.”

Sheinella said Hoda told her how working with Jenna will change her life.

“‘You’re going to talk about how this was a moment that changed your career,” she recalled Hoda saying. “‘And it was the best decision, for your kids, for you.’ She’s like, ‘Working with Jenna, it’s going to be better than you could ever imagine. You’re going to love it.’”

Hoda, of course, knows firsthand what it’s like sitting next to Jenna. The pair co-hosted TODAY with Hoda & Jenna from 2019 until Hoda left in January of this year.

Sheinelle said she and Hoda discussed some other things during their phone call, which she said left her overjoyed.

“When I hung up with Hoda last night, I was like…” she said while motioning how good she felt.

“Let’s step into it,” Jenna said finishing her thought. “Should we step into it?”

“Let’s step into it,” a beaming Sheinelle replied.

TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle premieres Monday, Jan. 12, 2026.