Jenna Bush Hager was missing from the “Today” show this week, prompting many NBC viewers to wonder where she had gone. On Monday morning, March 16, 2026, co-host Sheinelle Jones explained that the 44-year-old was simply taking a much-needed spring break with her family.
Bush Hager is spending the week away from Studio 1A with her husband Henry Hager and their three children — daughters Mila and Poppy, and son Hal. The timing was ideal: she rarely takes extended time off from her demanding morning schedule, and this was the first notable break either she or Jones had taken since the show’s relaunch in January.
With Bush Hager out, NBC lined up a series of celebrity guest co-hosts to join Jones during the week. Internet personality Justin Sylvester kicked off the rotation on Monday, despite nearly missing his debut after a hectic coast-to-coast trip.
Sylvester flew overnight from Los Angeles to New York after covering the Oscars in California on Sunday. Arriving just over two hours before showtime, the E! News correspondent was then pulled over on the way to the studio. “Girl, I brushed my teeth in the back of a car!” he told Jones on air.
The veteran morning-show contributor also admitted he tried name-dropping during the traffic stop, joking that he told officers he was Craig Melvin to avoid a ticket.
After Sylvester’s Monday appearance, the lineup included model Ashley Graham on Tuesday, actress Nia Long on Wednesday, and actor Darren Criss on Thursday, with Sylvester returning Friday, March 20, to finish the week.
Guest hosts are familiar ground for Bush Hager. She spent nearly a year hosting with more than 60 different co-hosts on “Today with Jenna & Friends” after Hoda Kotb’s departure in January 2025. Bush Hager likened that period to “dating” while NBC hunted for a permanent co-host.
Jones was named Bush Hager’s permanent co-host on December 9, 2025, and debuted on January 12, 2026. The longtime NBC journalist had taken extended leave starting in December 2024 to care for her husband, Uche Ojeh, during his battle with brain cancer. Ojeh died on May 23, 2025, at 45. Jones returned to “Today” in September 2025, about four months after his passing.
The mother of three has spoken openly about managing her grief while continuing her morning-show work. “He was rooting for me all along. I owe it to him to keep going,” Jones previously told PEOPLE.
Bush Hager’s time off comes amid challenges for the wider “Today” family. Savannah Guthrie has been away from the early hours after her mother, Nancy Guthrie, was abducted from her Arizona home on February 1. The 84-year-old remains missing and the investigation is ongoing. Both Jones and Kotb have been filling in for Guthrie with Craig Melvin during the first hour of “Today.”
Guthrie has said she plans to return to the morning show, but NBC has not given a specific date.
Also absent from Studio 1A on Monday was Al Roker, with Dylan Dreyer stepping in while reporting live from the 2026 Players Championship in Florida.
Despite the host changes, “Today” continues to show the depth of NBC’s talent. The network’s ability to rotate guest co-hosts smoothly reflects the connections Bush Hager made during her year-long search for Kotb’s replacement.
Bush Hager is expected to be back on “Today with Jenna & Sheinelle” the week of March 23, returning refreshed from her family vacation and ready to resume her role alongside Jones in the show’s fourth hour.