All About Daughter Lucie and Son George

Willie Geist is a seriously “fun dad” to his two kids.

The Morning Joe anchor 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 told Today in 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-hosting Morning Joe just a few months before his daughter was born, but he still experienced the greatest joy at home.

“Being a dad is more fun than anyone told me it was going to be,” he told MSNBC in June 2018. “At first, you’re so overwhelmed by the responsibility, and while there are always tough times and long nights, at the end of the day, it’s way more fun than not.”

Now that his kids are teenagers, parenthood has gotten even better for the Sunday Today host. 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.

Lucie Joy Geist, 17

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-hosting Morning 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 told Glamour in August 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. So I feel very lucky to 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.”

Becoming a father was eye-opening for Willie, particularly because he was raising a daughter. Speaking to MSNBC in June 2018, the TV personality explained that he realized the impact “media messages” had on women, and it made him want to “battle against the culture.”

“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 on Today in 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.”

George William Geist, 15

Willie and Christina welcomed their son, George William Geist, on July 8, 2009.

Following his birth, Christina, who was the director of design strategy for Johnson & Johnson at the time, returned to work. However, George was a colicky baby, so balancing her job with raising two small children proved to be difficult and she eventually decided to take a career break.

Christina stayed home with Lucie and George for the next few years while Willie continued co-hosting Morning 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 told The 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,” the Sunday Today host 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 meet Dwayne Johnson.

“He kind of like clammed up,” Willie said, explaining that George didn’t want to “wave at the computer” during a Zoom interview with the Moana star.

“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.