Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist
NBC's "Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist" provides sharp, conversational coverage of the day's news, along with in-depth profiles of the people and ideas shaping our culture. In his “Sunday Sitdowns,” Geist chats with some of the biggest names in news and pop culture, from actors and musicians to presidents and CEOs, about the stories behind their success. This podcast features the full, unedited versions of those conversations for an even deeper look at the names in the headlines. "Sunday TODAY" airs live on NBC from 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. ET. Check your local listings.
Episodes
Bowen Yang is a comedian, writer, and Saturday Night Live cast member who stars as Pfannee in the movie musical Wicked and its upcoming sequel Wicked: For Good. In this conversation from April 2025, Yang sits down with Willie Geist to reflect on his extraordinary rise to fame, growing up as the son of Chinese immigrants, and the experience of coming out to his parents. He also talks about how a childhood trip to New York that inclu...
Cynthia Erivo is a Grammy, Tony, and Emmy-winning performer who stars as Elphaba in the movie musical Wicked and its upcoming sequel Wicked: For Good. In this sit-down from November 2024, Erivo talks with Willie Geist about stepping into the beloved role, the unforgettable moment of seeing her first Wicked billboards light up Times Square, and what it was like working alongside Ariana Grande as the pair built a meaningful friendshi...
Michelle Yeoh is an Oscar, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actress who stars as Madame Morrible in the movie musical Wicked and its upcoming sequel Wicked: For Good. In this conversation from March 2023, Yeoh sits down with Willie Geist to reflect on her sweeping awards-season success for Everything Everywhere All At Once and what it meant to finally have her big Hollywood moment. She looks back on her groundbre...
Idina Menzel is a Tony Award-winning performer who originated the role of Elphaba in Broadway’s Wicked and later became a global sensation as the voice of Elsa in Disney’s Frozen. In this conversation from December 2022, Menzel sits down with Willie Geist to reflect on her journey from performing at weddings on Long Island to headlining some of the world’s biggest stages. She also opens up about her experience with IVF later in lif...
Jeff Goldblum is an actor and musician who stars as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the movie musical Wicked and its upcoming sequel Wicked: For Good. In this conversation from July 2022, Goldblum sits down with Willie Geist to talk about returning as Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic World: Dominion, reuniting with Laura Dern and Sam Neill nearly three decades after the original Jurassic Park, and leading his own jazz ensemble when he’s n...
From a Long Island teen interviewing his comedy heroes on a high school radio station to the producer, director, and writer behind The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Anchorman, Trainwreck, and more, Judd Apatow is a modern-day comedy icon. He sits down with Willie Geist at New York’s Gotham Comedy Club to trace his rise to fame, from the tough early years and the mentorship of Garry Shandling to how the cancellation of Freaks and Geeks ultima...
For more than 30 years, Jim Gaffigan has been making audiences laugh with his signature blend of honesty, self-deprecation, and heart, cementing his place among the most beloved voices in comedy. In this conversation from February 2021, he joins Willie Geist to reflect on three decades in stand-up, the comedy of family life, and the unexpected quarantine hobby that kept him grounded: cross-country skiing. Want to be in the room whe...
Two decades after his breakout album It’s Time, five-time Grammy Award winner Michael Bublé sits down with Willie Geist at New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club to reflect on his journey from Canadian fishing boats to global fame. Bublé opens up about the grandfather who introduced him to Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, the early gigs that shaped his craft, and the moment that changed everything in his career. He also ...
Michael J. Fox is an award-winning actor, author, and philanthropist whose talent, humor, and heart have inspired generations. Four decades after Back to the Future made him a global star, Michael J. Fox sits down with Willie Geist to reflect on the film that defined a generation and the resilience that’s defined his life since. He opens up about the whirlwind of becoming Marty McFly at 23, the joy of rediscovering the movie as a f...
Matthew McConaughey on True Heroism in ‘The Lost Bus,’ Acting With His Family, and Lessons That Last
Over the past three decades, Matthew McConaughey has starred in more than 50 films, won an Academy Award for Dallas Buyers Club, delivered an Emmy-nominated performance in True Detective and topped bestseller lists with his memoir, Greenlights, but he’s still chasing something more meaningful. In his latest project, The Lost Bus, he tells the gripping true story of a school bus driver who risked everything to save 23 children durin...
Known for his early roles in Disco Pigs and Peaky Blinders, Cillian Murphy’s career reached new heights with his Oscar-winning performance in Oppenheimer, a script he calls one of the greatest things he’s ever read. Murphy sits down with Willie Geist to reflect on the cultural phenomenon of Oppenheimer, including his surprise that its complex structure and themes connected with such a massive audience and how Christopher Nolan’s bo...
Nathan Lane is a three-time Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor beloved for his roles on stage and screen, from The Producers and The Birdcage to voicing Timon in Disney’s The Lion King. In this conversation from March 2023, Lane opens up to Willie Geist about his return to Broadway in Pictures from Home, his journey from theater to Hollywood, and the performances that have defined his decades-long career.
Nicole Scherzinger is a Tony Award–winning actress and Grammy-nominated singer who made her Broadway debut in Sunset Boulevard, which earned her the 2025 Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. In this Sunday Sitdown from July 2025, Scherzinger joins Willie Geist over pizza to reflect on her run as Norma Desmond, her chart-topping career with The Pussycat Dolls and her new Netflix show Building the Band. She also opens up about...
Lin-Manuel Miranda is a Tony, Emmy, Grammy, and Pulitzer Prize-winning artist who revolutionized Broadway with his groundbreaking musical Hamilton. In this throwback conversation from November 2021, Miranda sits down with Willie Geist to reflect on the inception of Hamilton, the influence Rent had on his life, and how he paid tribute to Jonathan Larson in his directorial debut of Tick, Tick… Boom! starring Andrew Garfield. He also ...
BROADWAY STARS: Cynthia Erivo on Playing Elphaba in ‘Wicked’ and Her Broadway Journey (October 2024)
Cynthia Erivo is a Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning powerhouse who first stunned Broadway audiences in The Color Purple and recently took on one of musical theater’s most iconic roles: Elphaba in Wicked. In this chat from October 2024, Erivo joins Willie Geist to talk about stepping into the emerald spotlight opposite of her friend Ariana Grande and the thrill of seeing Wicked billboards light up Times Square ahead of the highl...
Leslie Odom, Jr., who was Willie Geist’s very first Sunday Sitdown guest nearly a decade ago, is returning to Broadway to reprise his Tony and Grammy Award-winning role as Aaron Burr in Hamilton. In this conversation, Odom reflects on why stepping back into the role ten years later feels like a homecoming and how the standing ovations take him back to his 17-year-old self who dreamt of being part of Broadway. He also opens up about...
From fleeing Cuba as a young girl to becoming the Queen of Latin Pop, Gloria Estefan’s journey to prominence has been defined by resilience. In this sitdown from May 2025, Estefan reflects on her family’s story, her lifelong love with Emilio Estefan, and the global success of hits like “Conga.” She also opens up about returning to the stage after her 1990 bus accident, releasing her first Spanish-language album in 18 years, Raíces,...
From her breakout role on Desperate Housewives to thriving today as an actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur, Eva Longoria has one of the most multifaceted careers in Hollywood. In this conversation from March 2025, Longoria opens up to Willie Geist about how her childhood in Texas shaped her journey, her perspective on fame, family, and longevity in Hollywood at 50, and her starring role in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrib...
As the Emmy-winning host of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver has redefined political comedy with his wit and satire. In this sitdown from February 2024, Oliver joins Willie Geist at a pub to watch his beloved Liverpool football club and preview the 2024 season of Last Week Tonight. He also reflects on his bold decision to move to America for a dream job on The Daily Show, a leap that set the stage for his late-night success.
A four-time Emmy winner for his legendary role as Walter White in Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston’s made a massive mark on Hollywood. In this conversation from December 2020, Cranston talks to Willie Geist about starring in Showtime’s Your Honor and reuniting with Aaron Paul to launch Dos Hombres Mezcal. He also reflects on the enduring legacy of Breaking Bad and why he’s often drawn to morally complex characters.
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