‘Today’ Host Sheinelle Jones Checks in With Fans Amid Vocal Cord Surgery Recovery

Today co-anchor Sheinelle Jones is “hanging in there” as she continues to recover from vocal cord surgery. In a post-surgery update shared with fans on Friday, Jones, currently unable to speak, checked in with fans for a second time, revealing that she is “making the best” of her recovery and time away from the morning show.

“Hi everybody! Just checking in,” Jones wrote on a series of posters, remaining silent throughout that clip as her recovery entails no talking for a two-week period. “I really miss my Today show buddies.”

“I’m doing well, reading books & magazines,” she continued as the camera briefly cut to a table covered with multiple reading materials. “Not talking stinks – but, I’m managing and making the best of it. Thanks for all of the comments & well wishes! Love you.”

On Tuesday, Jones provided fans with another update, this time recruiting twins Uche and Clara Josephine, 7, to do the speaking for her in a video that she joked in the caption “took 60 million times to record.”

“Hey everybody, I just wanted to let you know that my mom is doing fine,” Uche said.

“We’re playing games and writing notes,” Clara Josephine added.

Jones’ updates came after she underwent the procedure on Monday, Feb. 24, after having revealed on the Today show just the week prior that doctors had discovered a polyp on her vocal cord years ago.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Jones, who explained that she was first alerted to the issue by a Today producer in 2016, told her co-hosts live on the air.

“You know, as much as we talk about self-care on this show, if that producer didn’t tell me, ‘Sheinelle you should probably go to an ENT,’ I probably would’ve put up with it for a lot longer,’” she said. “I thought you could just drink some tea with honey and it would get better.”

“I had no idea it’s a whole separate part of your anatomy. But if you feel like you’re hoarse for an extended period of time, or you’re constantly losing your voice, or it’s raspy and it hasn’t always been so raspy, just go get it checked out,” she continued. “And also, speech therapy…it makes the biggest difference.”

As she continues to recover, Jones will be unable to speak for a total of two weeks and will be absent from the Today show for a total of six weeks, meaning that she should return to her co-hosting duties in early April.