TODAY anchor Willie Geist has relayed his teenage daughter Lucie’s latest milestone on NBC’s Today With Hoda & Jenna.
Willie talked with the morning show’s host, Jenna Bush Hager, about what it was like watching Lucie mature before his and his wife Christina’s very eyes.
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Willie, 48, appeared to be getting emotional as he announced on the TV program that Lucie, 16, recently got her driver’s license, which was a “big moment” for her.
The weekend on-air personality revealed that the minor was a “good and responsible driver.”
When Jenna, 42, asked him if he was scared for her to be on the road, Willie confidently said that he wasn’t since he knows that she’s a “careful and conscientious” driver.
He did, however, divulge that seeing her actually driving got him a bit choked up.
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“The act of watching her drive away for the first time. Whoa,” Willie stated.
He explained: “We picked [Lucy] up at school in two cars. We told her she had passed [her driving test]…and then she pulled away, [and] she’s driving in front of me and Christina, and it was a little emo.”
Willie and Christina have two children together – Lucie, and their son, George.
The couple is raising their children in New York City, near their families in Ridgewood, New Jersey.
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GROWING GEIST(S)
In a July 2023 interview with People, Willie said: “Seeing the person they become as they grow up, to me, that’s the great joy of being a parent.
“To be there and watch them become the people they’re going to be, and whether it’s what your fantasy or whatever was or not, what they come up with is so much better.”
He added: “They’re funny and smart and talented and fun to be around.
“And for me, it’s just so important to be the person who encourages them to be whoever they’re going to be.”
LOVING COUPLE
Christina and Willie revealed that they first fell in love at George Washington Middle School in the sixth grade.
While they dated through high school, the pair took a break in college before reconnecting in 2000.
In 2002, Willie popped the question and the two opted for a small destination wedding in Humacao, Puerto Rico.
They have been happily married since 2003.
On May 24, 2023, Willie posted a photo from their wedding on Instagram to celebrate a milestone in their relationship, writing: “20 years ago today! Humacao, PR. 🇵🇷
“Turns out even the wildest fantasy of what our life would look like 20 years after this photo was taken has fallen well short of the reality. We are so lucky.
“I love you, @ChristinaSharkeyGeist. Let’s renew for another 20.”
CHRISTINA’S CAREER
Christina is a brand strategist born in New Jersey.
Aside from being Willie Geist’s wife, she co-founded a brand strategy firm, True Geist, that works with global clients including Visa, Nasa, and AT&T.
On top of True Geist, Christina owns a gift box company called Boombox that creates personalized memory boxes.
She is also a New York Times bestselling children’s book author, with her first book beating out Harry Potter to become the number one kid’s book on Amazon.
Her books include Buddy’s Bedtime Battery and Sorry Grown-ups, You Can’t Go To School.
On July 11, 2022, Christina spoke on Today about her third children’s book, Buddy’s New Buddy, which serves up lessons about making new friends.
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