Broadcast journalist Sheinelle Jones moved her family to New York from Philly for her dream job on NBC’s Today show. Five years later she’s the cohost of the beloved morning show’s third hour, the co-anchor of the Saturday edition of Weekend Today, and a correspondent for all platforms of NBC News. When she came in to record her episode of Glamour‘s new podcast What I Wore When,—during which I talk to women about an outfit they chose during a pivotal moment in their lives—she chose to talk about the dress she wore to her first day on the job.
If you think picking out a dress for work can be stressful, imagine having to do it with the knowledge that millions of people will be seeing—and maybe judging—it. The dress she chose: A floral, fitted Cynthia Rowley stretchy sheath that she got at Nordstrom. The dress, she told me, still holds up.
“You know what’s crazy, is that when I close my eyes to think about how I would look, and I opened my eyes to what I had on. I looked better than I imagined I could look.”
Jones’ first day as a ‘Today’ anchor five years ago—and the Cynthia Rowley dress she still loves. (Courtesy of Sheinelle Jones)
I was particularly excited to talk to Sheinelle. Growing up, my family always had the Today show on as we got ready in the morning and so, as an adult, I’ve remained loyal, even during the show’s ups and downs. One of the program’s bright spots, for me, is the number of women broadcasters they’ve introduced during the last few years.
When she came in for our interview, Sheinelle, 41, was in the process of booking parent-teacher conferences straight from her phone—I have a 10-month-old, so didn’t know that was a thing—and talked openly about the challenges of working six days a week while raising three children. Even though I was the one asking the questions, I felt comfortable talking to Sheneille—especially when she put her interviewer hat on and turned some questions back on me.
She was cool and real and we bonded over our love of shopping at men’s stores in the ‘90s (shout out, Structure), she explained how “news girls” (her words) choose their outfits and why the Today show trusts its talent to dress themselves, aging, and the fact that she still doesn’t own an “I’m successful!” handbag despite being, in fact, quite successful. She also broke into song four times which I found highly enjoyable.
Toward the end of our conversation, Sheinelle shared with me a particularly special part of her morning routine that involves her young daughter, and also casually said I should come on the Today show for a fashion segment. Sheneille, you have my number.
Perrie Samotin is the digital director of Glamour and the host of What I Wore When, produced by Glamour and iHeartRadio, the team behind our earlier podcasts, Broken Harts and She Makes Money Moves. Follow her on Instagram at @perriesamotin, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or where ever you listen to your favorite shows.
