VIEWERS HEARTWARMING: Willie Geist can’t wai...

VIEWERS HEARTWARMING: Willie Geist can’t wait to REUNITE with ‘Today’ co-host Sheinelle Jones, expressing his excitement for their upcoming moment as he delivers an EXTREMELY EMOTIONAL MESSAGE

VIEWERS HEARTWARMING: Willie Geist can’t wait to REUNITE with ‘Today’ co-host Sheinelle Jones, expressing his excitement for their upcoming moment as he delivers an EXTREMELY EMOTIONAL MESSAGE

Willie Geist Can’t Wait to Reunite With His ‘Today’ Coworker Sheinelle Jones Again, Revealing His Excitement for Their Upcoming Moment Together, As He Opens Up About Their Strong Friendship and the Unique Bond They Share on and Off the Set — Find Out What Willie Has to Say About This Heartfelt Reunion and Why Fans Are Eager to See the Dynamic Duo Back Together on Screen!

Willie Geist; Sheinelle Jones. Photo: Tibrina Hobson/Getty;Arturo Holmes/Getty

Willie Geist opened up to PEOPLE about his NBC colleague Sheinelle Jones’ ongoing absence at A Country Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s in Nashville
“We’re giving her all the time she needs,” the Sunday Today host said
Geist hosted the fundraising event for the benefit of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

Willie Geist is missing someone special!

The Sunday Today host, 49, opened up to PEOPLE at A Country Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s on Wednesday, April 16, in Nashville, about his NBC colleague Sheinelle Jones’ ongoing absence.

“I cannot wait to see Sheinelle again,” Geist said when asked about his coworker. “We’re giving her all the time she needs.”

The anchor continued to explain that there is no pressure for her return, although the team is buzzing to welcome her back. “She’s dealing with a family matter or private matter, and she is such a valued member of our family,” he shared. “We want to just be there for her and whenever she feels ready to come back and sit with the group, we’ll give her the biggest hug she ever got.”

Sheinelle Jones and Willie Geist on ‘Today’ in 2019. Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

Jones, who is a co-host of Today‘s 3rd hour with Al Roker, Craig Melvin and Dylan Dreyer, broke her silence on her absence from the show in an Instagram post in January, in which she revealed she’s been “taking time to deal with a family health matter.”

“I sincerely appreciate all of you who have reached out while I’ve been absent from the show,” she wrote.

“It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to have not on the support of my Today show family, but to also have all of you. Your kindness means so much to me. I’ll see you soon.”

Jones hasn’t appeared on a new Today broadcast since Dec. 18. She first joined Today in 2014.

Her co-hosts shared an update on her absence on the April 11 broadcast, where Melvin, 45, said, “I just talked to her a couple days ago — she’s taking some time to be with her family and we talk to her all the time.”

Dreyer, 43, confirmed that Jones will “be back” on the show eventually, noting that the anchor “misses being here — she wishes she was here with us, but she’s doing what she needs to do.”

Sheinelle Jones on ‘Today’ in 2024.Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

A Country Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s was a fundraising event for the benefit of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. The evening featured performances by Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town and Dusty Slay, as well as a presentation by Sheryl Crow.

Geist, who hosted the starry event, told PEOPLE that the event has a special place in his heart because of a loved one.

Willie Geist, Michael J. Fox, and Sheryl Crow attend “A Country Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s” benefitting The Michael J. Fox Foundation on April 16, 2025 in Nashville.Tibrina Hobson/Getty

“My dad has Parkinson’s disease and has had it for like 33 years. He was diagnosed, he was 47 years old. So it’s been in our lives and our family for three decades,” he said. “And when you have Parkinson’s in your life, the first thing you think of is Michael J. Fox. I realized he had a foundation, a successful foundation that has impacted so many lives, so I reached out to them and they were incredible.”

Michael J. Fox started the foundation in 2000 after publicly sharing his 1991 diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease. The foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for the neurological disorder.