William Russell Geist was born on May 3, 1975, in Evanston, Illinois, United States, and grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He is the son of longtime journalist and columnist Bill Geist and social worker Jody Lewis. Geist attended Vanderbilt University, where he studied political science and worked as editor of the student newspaper, The Vanderbilt Hustler, before graduating in 1997.

He began his career in media at CNN Sports Illustrated, working as a producer and editor before moving into on-air journalism. Geist later joined MSNBC and gained national recognition as a co-host of Morning Joe. In 2016, he became the anchor of NBC’s Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist, a weekly news magazine program. He also regularly contributes to NBC’s Today and NBC Nightly News, and has reported for NBC Sports and Olympic coverage.

Geist married his high school sweetheart, Christina Sharkey, in 2003; the couple met in middle school. They have two children and live in Westchester County, New York. A committed philanthropist, he sits on the board of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for PParkinson’sResearch — a cause close to his heart, as his father was diagnosed with the disease in 1992