Willie Geist and wife Christina Geist with their two kids, son George and daughter Lucie.Photo:Christina Sharkey Geist/Instagram
Christina Sharkey Geist/Instagram
Willie Geistis a seriously “fun dad” to his two kids.
TheMorning Joeanchor and his wife of over 20 years,Christina Geist, are parents to daughter Lucie and son George.
“I think there’s something old school about being a dad,” he toldTodayin June 2024. “You want to, in their eyes, be the hero.” Still, he acknowledged the “vulnerability” of fatherhood and the importance of being honest as a parent.
Willie and Christina first met in middle school. More than two decades later, the pair married in May 2003. Within six years, they’d become a family of four, welcoming daughter Lucie Joy Geist in June 2007 and son George William Geist in July 2009.
Willie started co-hostingMorning Joejust a few months before his daughter was born, but he still experienced the greatest joy at home.
Now that his kids are teenagers, parenthood has gotten even better for theSunday Todayhost. Talking to them about their day is “genuinely fun,” he explained to the outlet. “You’re never sitting there listening out of responsibility. You just truly love it.”
Here’s everything to know about Willie Geist’s two kids, Lucie and George.
Willie Geist with his wife Christina Geist and their children attend an event on June 8, 2016 in New York City.Bryan Bedder/Getty
Bryan Bedder/Getty
Willie and Christina welcomed their first child together, daughter Lucie Joy Geist, on June 14, 2007.
Just two months earlier, Willie started his on-air career co-hostingMorning Joe, which made his transition into fatherhood a bit easier in the long run.
“I’ve been getting up in the middle of the night ever since we had kids,” he toldGlamourinAugust 2019.
Although heading to work before dawn meant leaving his wife to handle the early morning parenting duties alone, the pair “always had an agreement.” While Christina was in charge of the day tasks, Willie took the evenings, and it’s a schedule that has worked well for their family.
“I’m home at night and have been since they were babies,” he told PEOPLE in July 2023. “I’ve been there at dinner time. I’ve been there at bath time, been there for tuck-in time and reading books. SoI feel very luckyto trade-off."
Not only is Willie thankful to have Christina’s understanding, but he also credits her for helping him navigate parenthood. “[She’s been] a savant since the day my daughter was born,” he explained. “I’ve always followed her lead.”
Christina Geist with daughter Lucie Joy Geist.Christina Sharkey Geist/ Instagram
Christina Sharkey Geist/ Instagram
“It’s cliché, but the advice I really want Lucie to take into adulthood is to be herself and to feel 100% confident in that,” he said.
Lucie is currently a high school junior and may already be following in her parents’ footsteps. Taking after her dad’s journalist instincts and mom’s creative talent, she writes for her school’s digital news publication.
In June 2023, Lucie turned 16 and brought a certain milestone — driving. A few months later, Willie opened up about his daughter getting behind the wheel solo and the emotions that came with it.
“She’s a good kid with a driver’s license now,” he said onTodayin February 2024.
Referring to her as “responsible,” Willie explained that he wasn’t nervous about her being on the road. “I know her, and I know how careful she is and conscientious,” he added.
Still, the broadcast journalist wasn’t exactly a stoic father. “The act of watching her drive away for the first time … whoa,” he said, adding that he was “a little emo” about it.
Willie continued, “The first thought I had was, I taught her how to ride a bike in Riverside Park in New York, you stand behind her, you hold the seat and you watch her kind of go away on her own. And she turns back and goes, ‘Oh, Dad’s not holding the seat anymore, I did it.’ And I had the same feeling.”
Willie Geist with his son George William Geist.Christina Sharkey Geist/ Instagram
Willie and Christina welcomed their son, George William Geist, on July 8, 2009.
Christina stayed home with Lucie and George for the next few years while Willie continued co-hostingMorning Joe. During this time, she discovered a new passion for writing and published her first children’s book,Buddy’s Bedtime Battery, in 2016.
When she released her second title in 2019,Sorry, Grown-Ups, You Can’t Go to School!, Christina shared that Lucie and George inspired her work and were her biggest collaborators.
“They’ve seen these stories develop from my laptop to page layouts to sketched illustrations and finished books," she toldThe Local Moms Network. “Right now, they’re helping me figure out which story idea to pitch for book number three.”
George and his sister are equally helpful when it comes to their dad’s career.
“I’m definitely pushing 50 at this point, so when somebody who is on the younger end of celebrities come in, I do a gut check with my kids,” theSunday Todayhost told PEOPLE in 2023.
He might be willing to give his dad tips on interviewing the stars, but George doesn’t necessarily want to participate in the sit-downs. In April 2021, the news anchor shared a sweet story with PEOPLE about his son being too nervous to meetDwayne Johnson.
Christina Geist with daughter Lucie Joy Geist and son George Geist in March 2023.Christina Sharkey Geist/ Instagram
“He kind of like clammed up,” Willie said, explaining that George didn’t want to “wave at the computer” during a Zoom interview with theMoanastar.
“The very idea of meeting [Johnson], even over a computer screen, thousands of miles away, it was too much,” he added. “Maybe some other time we’ll meet him down the road.”
Still, while George might not be following in his famous father’s path, he may be headed for his own career in the entertainment industry.
Speaking to PEOPLE in 2023 about his parenting philosophy, Willie emphasized the importance of “always [being] supportive” of their dreams.
“But also not to be overprotective of your kids — not to keep them in a bubble and to go out in the world and have some failures and to encourage the things they love to do,” he shared.
As for what George loves, Willie revealed that his son is “a great musician.”
“He’s a drummer and a keyboard player, and it’s not a talent I have at all, but the minute he started showing interest and promise in that, we totally encouraged him to continue to do it and open the doors,” he said.
“Seeing the person [your kids] become as they grow up, to me, that’s the great joy of being a parent,” Willie added.
source: people.com