“Her music has been there for me in so many moments,” Jones said of the singer. “So when I saw her, I wanted to tell her that.”

Today’s Sheinelle Jones shares Rihanna ‘pouring into’ her during emotional Met Gala moment: ‘The loveliest’

"Her music has been there for me in so many moments," Jones said of the singer. "So when I saw her, I wanted to tell her that."

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Entertainment Tonight and Popsugar.

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May 5, 2026 2:10 p.m. ET

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Sheinelle Jones and Rihanna attend the 2026 Met Gala. Credit:

Kevin Mazur/MG26/Getty

- *Today* cohost Sheinelle Jones shares the heartfelt moment between her and Rihanna during the 2026 Met Gala.

- "When I saw her, I wanted to tell her that. But she was so busy pouring back into me," the co-anchor recalled during Tuesday's episode of *Today With Jenna & Sheinelle.*

- During Monday night's Met Gala, cameras captured Rihanna giving Jones an encouraging pep talk on the red carpet. "You deserve to be poured into, and you're beautiful," the singer gushed.

Sheinelle Jones didn't expect to get emotional during the 2026 Met Gala, but a moment between her and Rihanna did exactly that.

During Tuesday morning's episode of *Today With Jenna & Sheinelle*, Jones recalled her star-studded night covering the annual fashion fundraiser to her cohost Jenna Bush Hager, during which she chatted with several of the night's biggest stars. But one of the most meaningful was her conversation with Rihanna, which cameras captured on the red carpet.

"She's the loveliest. The loveliest," Jones gushed of the pop superstar. "And I have to tell you, you know my goal — and you guys heard me say that, I didn't know that you guys were gonna hear it, but it's fine, you could totally hear it. I felt like there are certain people who, I told you yesterday, who are almost like the soundtrack to your life, right? So this was my whatever."

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky attend The 2026 Met Gala.

Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images

She went on to note, "Rihanna's music has been there for me in so many moments. So when I saw her, I wanted to tell her that. But she was so busy pouring back into me!"

Hager echoed Rihanna's sentiments, telling her cohost that she "love[d]" that the singer stopped to encourage Jones.

"As women, you were like, 'I wanted to show up, I wanted to meet the moment. I wanted to see you,'" Hager said of Jones' attitude going into Monday night's festivities. "She's like, 'No, you gotta see yourself, too, right?' That must have been a dream. That's the biggest dream."

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The singer embraced Jones as seen in a clip shared by *Today*, and held her hand as she asked, "So, what was your day like today?"

Jones replied, "Today was, honestly, hoping that I could meet the moment and catch somebody's eye contact."

"You deserve to be poured into, and you're beautiful, and you're a Black journalist, and I respect you. I love you for this," the mother of three told Jones before complimenting her Met Gala look. "By the way your outfit is f--king fire."

Jones thanked her, stating, "Love you, Rihanna!"

The singer was correct — Jones stunned in a custom Lafayette 148 gown designed by Emily Smith, that had her literally shining bright like a diamond.

Sheinelle Jones attends the 2026 Met Gala.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Jones followed up the moment by sharing a sweet selfie she took with Rihanna on her Instagram page. "When you try to celebrate her, and she sends love right back your way. @savagexfenty @badgalriri AKA Rihanna #metgala2026," she captioned the sweet photo.

Of course, Rihanna also brought her A-game to fashion's biggest night on Monday.

The singer was draped in a Maison Margiela gown featuring over 115,000 crystal beads and antique jewels to celebrate this year's dress code, "Fashion Is Art." The jeweled gown featured a sculptured structure, which had been made by hand, that wrapped around her head and body like a cape.

According to *Vogue*, the ensemble took over 1,380 hours to make.**

Watch Sheinelle Jones reflect on her emotional moment with RIhanna at the Met Gala above.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Talk”