Willie Geist Biography
Willie Geist is an American anchor, actor, host and writer working for MSNBC as an anchor of Sunday Today with Willie Geist and a co-anchor of Morning Joe. He joined the MSNBC news team in 2005, after previously working for Fox Sports Net.
Willie Geist Career
Geist attended George Washington Middle School in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He served as the captain of both the basketball and football teams, leading the latter to victory in the 1991 state football championship. He was elected to New Jersey Boys State and became a member of the National Honor Society. Additionally, he graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt University in 1997, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and French. During his time at Vanderbilt, he served as an editor for the university’s newspaper, The Vanderbilt Hustler. He started his career as an editor and producer for CNN Sports Illustrated, later becoming a field producer and reporter for CNN Sports. He covered major sporting events such as the Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four, and The Masters. Geist began substituting as a co-host on MSNBC’s morning time slot shortly after Don Imus was fired in late April 2007.
He became a permanent co-host of “Morning Joe” in September 2007 alongside Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. In July 2009, he began hosting his own 30-minute program, “Way Too Early with Willie Geist,” airing at 5:30 a.m. just before “Morning Joe” on MSNBC. He also substituted for Matt Lauer as the host of the “Today Show” and as the show’s newsreader. In November 2012, he officially became a co-host of the “Today Show” and left “Way Too Early.” Later, he became the solo host of the new Sunday program, “Sunday Today,” which launched in April 2016. Geist has contributed to NBC Sports and NBC News’s coverage of every Olympic Games since 2010. Additionally, he played a significant role in NBC’s coverage of major events, anchoring hours-long coverage of the Orlando nightclub shooting in 2016 and receiving an Edward R. Murrow Award for coverage of mass shootings in 2019.
He is known for his long-form profile interviews with celebrities on “Sunday TODAY” and hosts the popular “Sunday Sitdown” podcast, featuring unedited versions of his television interviews. Moreover, he has also done voice work in the movie “Kung Fu Panda 3” and made appearances in several other films and TV shows. In addition to his media career, he has been a guest on Andy Cohen’s late-night Bravo show “Watch What Happens Live” and has appeared twice in People magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive” issue in 2012 and 2017. He has been impersonated by Saturday Night Live cast member Mikey Day in sketches about “Morning Joe.” In 2019, he participated in a special episode of “How Low Will You Go” with Jenna Bush Hager on the Today Show.
Willie Geist Salary
Geist earns an annual salary of about $47,000-$120,000.
Willie Geist Net Worth
Geist has an estimated net worth of about $1 Million – $7 Million which he has earned through his career as an anchor.
Willie Geist Age
Geist was born on May 3, 1975, in Winchester, United States. He is 49 years old as of 2024, and he celebrates his birthday on the 3rd of May every year.
Willie Geist Height and Weight
Geist stands at a height of 5 feet 11 inches tall however, information about his weight has not been disclosed.
Willie Geist Family
Geist is the son of Jody Geist who was a social worker and Bill Geist a broadcast journalist and newspaper columnist. He has a sister called Libby Geist Wildes who is a documentary film producer. He is also the great-grandson of Herbie Lewis, a former star player for the Detroit Red Wings and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Willie Geist Wife and Children
Geist is married to Christina Sharkey who he met in Ridgewood High School and they got engaged in 2001. They tied the knot on May 24, 2003, in Humacao Puerto Rico. Together they have been blessed with two children, whom they named; Lucie Joy and George William. He resides in New York together with his family.
Bill Geist Illness
When Bill Geist, former CBS Sunday Morning correspondent, received a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in 1992, he and his wife, Jody Lewis Geist, chose to keep it a secret from their children, Geist and Libby, for more than a decade. Despite his Parkinson’s diagnosis, Bill continued his successful career in journalism at CBS News, known for his wry reports on colorful characters and quirky places in America. Over the years, Bill maintained a stoic attitude, avoiding discussions about his condition and not letting it define his life. Symptoms like tremors and small handwriting emerged, and eventually, Bill sought medical attention. Diagnosed at age 47, he faced the challenges of early-onset Parkinson’s, a condition typically associated with older individuals. Bill’s career at CBS continued, and he won three Emmy Awards before retiring in 2018. Despite the progressive nature of Parkinson’s, Bill emphasized managing the disease rather than dwelling on its impact.
He believed in the importance of preserving his lively personality and fought against the emotional toll Parkinson’s can take. In his book, “Good Talk, Dad: The Birds, the Bees…and Other Conversations We Forgot to Have,” co-authored with his daughter Libby, Bill humorously reflects on the family’s tendency not to discuss important matters openly. Bill’s decision to keep his Parkinson’s diagnosis private extended to his workplace, reflecting the stigma around the disease at the time. Concerned about potential career repercussions, he avoided disclosing his condition at CBS. While society’s understanding of Parkinson’s has evolved since then, Bill’s experience highlights the challenges faced by individuals living with the disease, especially in a professional setting. Despite the absence of a cure, Bill maintains a positive outlook and emphasizes the importance of symptomatic therapies, allowing many with Parkinson’s to lead normal lives for an extended period.
MSNBC
While working for MSNBC Geist co-works alongside:
Social Media Platform
Geist is very active on his Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages. He has 861.1k followers on Twitter 412k followers on Instagram and 205.6k followers on Facebook.