Sheinelle Jones to Anchor Today Weekends

She spent nine years at "Good Day Philadelphia."

A familiar face is getting a new, high-profile gig.

The Today Show reports:

Sheinelle Jones has joined the TODAY team as the news anchor of the weekend program.

Jones joins NBC News from FOX in Philadelphia, where she spent nine years serving as a co-host of its Emmy Award-winning show “Good Day Philadelphia.”

Jones is taking over for Jenna Wolfe, who will be moving to the weekdays as TODAY’s first-ever lifestyle and fitness correspondent. Jones will take up her new role beginning on Saturday, Oct. 4.

At the Daily News, Molly Eichel reports:

Jones told me that the shift to the weekend “Today” show works around the reasons she left “Good Day” in the first place: to be with her family. “This is flexible enough where I can keep my duties at home and do what I wanted to do with the kids [son Kayin, twins Clara Josephine and Uche Ade Christian]. It doesn’t stop me from working, but it won’t be too consuming. It’s a perfect balance between me and the family.”

Her family has moved to Manhattan but Jones was adamant about keeping her Philly roots. She still has family here, and she informed me that right after we chatted she’d be heading from NYC to Bucks County for a Work to Ride fundraiser.