Why Willie Geist Was 'Shocked' By Turnout for 1st Live Sunday Sitdown — and What He Thought Fans Really Came to See (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Willie Geist.Photo:Peter Kramer/NBC News

Peter Kramer/NBC News

Sources say Willie Geist is a “natural.” (Sources being hisTodaycolleaguesSavannah Guthrie,Hoda Kotb,Jenna Bush HagerandDylan Dreyer, that is.)

Backstage at City Winery in New York City on Jan. 22, the ladies ofToday— Geist’s honorary “sisters,” as they call themselves — tell PEOPLE that they’re excited for him ahead of the first-ever “Sunday Sitdown Live” interview he’s conducting withcomedian Nate Bargatze. (The interview will air on Sunday, Feb. 2.)

“Willie is an incredible interviewer,” says Guthrie. “He’s beloved. He’s adorable. And he has a vision, and he’s executed this vision.”

Geist laughs days later when he learns what his coworkers said about him — and when he’s asked how exactly one gets to be such a natural.

Willie Geist on ‘Sunday Today with Willie Geist’.Nathan Congleton

Nathan Congleton

In the nearly nine years since the inception ofSunday Today, Geist has conducted more than 500 interviews with countless A-list celebrities (in fact, he’s nabbedMariska Hargitay,Glenn CloseandCynthia Erivofor conversations in the last month alone).

So, when the idea began cropping up that the team should try and bring the beloved Sunday Sitdown interview to their loyal fanbase, Geist was excited. Sponsor (and venue) City Winery was game. All they’d need was an audience.

Nate Bargatze hosts Saturday Night Live on October 5, 2024.Will Heath/NBC via Getty

Will Heath/NBC via Getty

Geist laughs again when told yes, he really was the main attraction.

“Well, Nate wasn’t too bad either,” he says. “He’s got some fans.”

(L-R) Nate Bargatze and Willie Geist at City Winery on Jan. 22.Nathan Congleton

As a beloved comedian with a skyrocketing career,Bargatze was a natural choice forSunday Todayto kick off a first-of-its-kind event. To Geist’s credit, however, he’s not one for cue cards, and his intimate interviews aren’t the type where he can have teleprompters on stage or following him down a bustling street with a big star in tow, either.

Geist likens the experience to heading to “a bar with a friend, or to dinner,” where he doesn’t have a list of prepared questions he plans to inquire about.

(L-R) Peter Alexander, Al Roker, Dylan Dreyer, Hoda Kotb, Jenna Bush Hager, Savannah Guthrie, Carson Daly, Laura Jarrett and Willie Geist are seen at the NBC “Today” Show.NDZ/Star Max/GC Images

NDZ/Star Max/GC Images

Instead, part of the key to being such a natural actually is to be over prepared, says Geist. It takes work to make something hard look so easy.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“I’ve toldmy kids this as they get into their teenage years: the thing that neutralizes anxiety, whether you’re interviewing somebody or making a speech or a presentation in class, is preparation. So, I just lean into the preparation because I know if I’ve done the work, then there’s nothing to be anxious about,” says Geist. “I know everything about this person. I know where I hope the interview will go. I’ll be able — if they take it to another direction — to react with more on that area that they want to talk about. Preparation is the anxiety killer.”

Sunday Todayairs Sundays at 8 a.m. ET on NBC.

source: people.com