As the current particularly trying times on the set of NBC's TODAY have shown, with the disappearance of anchor Savannah Guthrie's mom Nancy Guthrie, the show's anchors are one big family.
The familial love extends far beyond the homes of the NBC anchors, and onto the soundstages, with several of the hosts sharing close bonds both on and off the screen.
Over the past nearly three months, ahead of Savannah's eventual return on April 6, many of the network's anchors have taken her position, including Sheinelle Jones, Laura Jarrett, and Sunday Today's Willie Geist.
Like his colleagues, Willie, 50, has a close-knit family as well, especially his bond with his wife of over two decades. In fact, their relationship goes back way farther! Meet Willie's wife Christina Sharkey…
© InstagramWho is Christina Sharkey?
Christina Sharkey Geist, 51, is just as prominent of a figure as her husband. She is a published author, speaker, brand strategist and entrepreneur, the founder of brands True Geist, a branding and design firm, and Boombox Gifts, a collaborative gifting service that was acquired by tribute.co in 2023.
Christina has written three children's books, titled Buddy's Bedtime Battery, Sorry Grown-Ups, You Can't Go to School!, and Buddy's New Buddy, with the second of the three officially becoming a New York Times bestseller. Her most recent release was 2025's Before You Fly Away: Life Lessons from Replica Luxury Handbag, a collection of essays written for their daughter Lucie before she left for college.
© Getty ImagesHer official website describes her as someone who hopes to "leave a positive footprint on her corner of the world using the simplest tool – her words," and "who believes your life is measured in your relationships, not your accomplishments."
© Getty ImagesChristina and Willie's relationship
Willie and Christina aren't just your average high school sweethearts, they're *childhood* sweethearts, first meeting all the way back in middle school. As Willie put it in his tribute to her on her 50th birthday: "She was 11 when she caught my eye on the first day of Mr. Kaplan's 6th Grade homeroom class."
"A gawky boy in Jams and Chuck Taylors can dream… but not this big. I'd love to go back and tell him she and I have spent most of our lives since that day together and today we're celebrating her Big 5-0."
© InstagramAlthough at first, Christina started dating Willie's friend, but the pair eventually got together. They dated for 16 years before tying the knot in June of 2003 in Puerto Rico, with that same friend then acting as the best man at their wedding. They even went to Vanderbilt University together, now that's love!
© Getty ImagesTheir two kids
The couple welcomed their daughter Lucie in 2007 and their son George in 2009. Lucie is now a student at Vanderbilt as well, just like her parents, and was the inspiration behind Before You Fly Away.
During a 2024 Father's Day roundtable with Craig Melvin and Al Roker, Willie said of fatherhood: "You want to, in their eyes, be the hero. And showing that kind of vulnerability, maybe you feel like that puts a little bit of a dent in that. But I think it's so important to do it and reveal that life is not all perfect. Things come up along the way. You are vulnerable."
