NEWSStarstruck Sheinelle Jones Recalls Emotional Met Gala Encounter With 'Loveliest' Rihanna: 'Her Music Has Been There for Me in So Many Moments'
Sheinelle Jones gushed over her sweet conversation with Rihanna on the Met Gala red carpet.
May 5 2026, Published 2:25 p.m. ET
Sheinelle Jones couldn’t stop gushing over her sweet Met Gala moment with Rihanna.
During the Tuesday, May 5, episode of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle, the host, 47, reacted to the pop star singing her praises on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Rihanna and Sheinelle Jones chatted on the red carpet at the Met Gala.
“[She’s] the loveliest. And I have to tell you, my goal…I felt like there are certain people who…I told you yesterday…I told you guys…that are sort of like the soundtrack to your life. Oh, this was my first dance, or oh, this was whatever. Rihanna, her music has been there for me in so many moments,” Jones raved. “So when I saw her, I wanted to tell her that. She was so busy pouring back into me.”
What Did Rihanna Say to Sheinelle Jones?
Rihanna praised Sheinelle Jones as a black journalist.
At the Monday, May 4, event, Rihanna, 38, stopped to ask Jones what her day was like.
“Today I was honestly hoping that I could meet the moment and catch somebody’s eye contact. So many people, when they come here on the carpet, it’s ‘take, take, take,’ but my goal was to give, give back. I feel like your talent gives back,” the media personality explained.
Instead of fixating on her own fame, Rihanna took the time to appreciate Jones.
“You deserve to be poured into as well. It’s not all about giving into everybody. You deserve to be poured into,” she expressed. “You’re beautiful. You’re a black journalist, and I respect you, and I love you for this. And by the way, your outfit is f------ fire.”
Sheinelle Jones and Jenna Bush Hager Gush Over Rihanna
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Rihanna complimented Sheinelle Jones' Met Gala dress.
Jenna Bush Hager and Jones watched the clip on Tuesday with their mouths hanging open.
“Mic drop,” the 44-year-old declared. “Did you want to faint in that moment?”
Although Bush Hager did not attend the Met Gala, she knew just how special the moment was to her costar.
“I love that [Rihanna] said that [about you] because it’s true. As women, you were like, ‘I wanted to show up. I wanted to meet the moment. I wanted to see you.’ And she’s like, ‘You’ve got to see yourself, too.’ And also, she said something about your outfit, which we can’t say on television, but that must have been a dream…” she exclaimed. “She said you look like fire, or your outfit is fire.”
Sheinelle Jones compared the Met Gala to a 'grown-up prom.'
“She did say something like that…” Jones said cheekily. “There are days that are really c-----, and days that are really amazing. Last night was amazing. It was beautiful. I felt like it was a grown-up prom. So many people watch the fourth hour. They watch us.”
Sheinelle Jones ran into Jenna Bush Hager's former costars on the red carpet.
The host pointed out that some of Bush Hager’s former co-hosts from TODAY With Jenna & Friends showed up on the red carpet as “forever friends,” including Dwyane Wade and Ayesha Curry.
“When people are coming along the carpet, it’s like, ‘Oh! You’re our friends.’ And it felt that way last night,” Jones exclaimed.
“You did amazing and did such a great job,” Bush Hager concluded.
