*Sheinelle Jones had no idea what was coming, but co-host Jenna Bush Hager turned her debut book launch into an unforgettable television moment.
On the Tuesday, April 14 episode of “Today With Jenna & Sheinelle,” Bush Hager surprised Jones by bringing her three children — Kayin, Clara Josephine, and Little Uche — out onto the NBC studio floor. As TV Insider reports, Jones was already in tears before they appeared, having just spoken candidly about the meaning behind “Through Mom’s Eyes,” which debuted that same day. The book draws from the influence of two people she has lost: her late husband Uche Ojeh and her late grandmother Josephine Vonceal Pace Brown, and is dedicated to her children.
“I want my kids to know that they are my everything,” Jones said. “Because what I’ve realized is that tomorrow is not promised. And I think because my life has been turned upside down, and they’ve already lost a parent, it made me question, ‘What would I want to leave on this planet?’ and ‘What would I want to leave for my kids?'”
She continued, “I used to have a pastor that would say, ‘From the heart, through the pen.’ And I’m like, ‘That’s what I did. From the heart, through the pen.’ And so, if there is a time when I’m not with them, they have this book and they know their mom through this book.”
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Kayin, 16, delivered an emotional tribute to his mother. “Words can’t even describe it. I’m so happy for you, Mom. You’ve worked on this since quarantine, you know, we’ve had the ups and downs,” he said. “We’ve obviously gone through so much, you know. It’s just, like, I’m so happy for you.”
“Through Mom’s Eyes” features life lessons and insights from the mothers of well-known figures including Shaquille O’Neal, Steph Curry and Lady Gaga. The book “celebrates the quiet, everyday love that shapes who we become,” publisher Putnam Books said in a press release.
Jones marked the arrival of her book with a tour that kicked off this week and features special guests. Remaining dates are listed below, and tickets are available on the tour’s website .
- April 16 at 7 p.m. — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — Free Library of Philadelphia with Uncle Bobbie’s — in conversation with Mike Jerrick
- April 17 at 11:55 a.m. — Austin, Texas — Mom 2.0 Summit at JW Marriott Austin
- April 17 at 7:30 p.m. — Tulsa, Oklahoma — All Souls Unitarian Church with Magic City Books — in conversation with Ree Drummond
- April 18 at 5 p.m. — Wichita, Kansas — Grace Presbyterian Church w/ Watermark Books — in conversation with Carla Eckels
- April 20 at 6:30 p.m. — Washington, D.C. — April 20 at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library with Politics & Prose — in conversation with Glory Edim
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Sheinelle Jones Named Co-Host of “TODAY” Fourth Hour with Jenna Bush Hager
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