Born and raised in New York City’s Lower East Side, Michael Che grew up with early jobs selling t-shirts and working open mic nights. After being spotted by Colin Jost at a stand-up show in 2013, Che landed a gig writing for Saturday Night Live where he would become the show’s first black head writer and first black anchor of “Weekend Update.” In this week’s Sunday Sitdown, Willie Geist gets together with Che to talk about his rise in comedy and his new Netflix stand-up special, Michael Che: Sha...
Nov 14, 2021•47 min
Elizabeth Banks decided a long time ago she would control her own destiny in Hollywood. In her two decades on screen, Banks has earned three Emmy nominations, starred in the Hunger Games franchise and produced all three of the Pitch Perfect movies which together made more than 600 million dollars at the box office. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with Banks to talk about her podcast and new business venture into canned wine.
Nov 07, 2021•52 min
John Leguizamo immigrated to the United States from Colombia when he was 4 years old and since then he’s made his way to some of the biggest screens and stages in America, starring in films like Carlito’s Way , Super Mario Bros and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar . In this week’s Sunday Sitdown, Willie Geist gets together with the Tony and Emmy-winning actor to talk about his prolific career and his latest groundbreaking project in the superhero universe....
Oct 31, 2021•35 min
As a bonus for you, TODAY’s Al Roker is sharing a special preview of his brand-new original podcast, Cooking Up a Storm with Al Roker. Join Al as he whips up a complete Thanksgiving feast with some of the very best chefs around – like Ina Garten and Marcus Samuelsson. Grab your apron as they spill the beans on family secrets to get you ready for the holidays. It’s a feast for the ears! Listen now to Cooking Up a Storm with Al Roker: https://link.chtbl.com/cus_feed...
Oct 25, 2021•1 min
A native of St. Louis, Andy Cohen began his career as a television news producer before jumping to entertainment and dreaming up the wildly popular Real Housewives series on Bravo. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the Watch What Happens Live host to talk about the world he has created, his new book and his son, Benjamin.
Oct 24, 2021•39 min
Julianne Moore grew up moving around the world with her military dad before making her way to Hollywood as a young actress. Since then she’s had an extraordinary career, including five Academy Award nominations and a win for her performance in Still Alice . In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with Moore to talk about her shift from movies to television with her role in the Stephen King series Lisey’s Story . (Original broadcast date: June 6, 2021)
Oct 17, 2021•30 min
Machine Gun Kelly started his music career as a rapper, but it was his latest #1 punk album Tickets to My Downfall that launched the hard-edged musician to superstardom. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the artist to talk about that move to punk after four successful hip-hop albums and his discomfort with the spotlight at the top of the music world.
Oct 10, 2021•1 hr 8 min
At the age when most kids are finding their way around the halls of elementary school, Diane Lane was touring the world as an actress. By the time she was a teenager, she became a household name after starring alongside Laurence Olivier in the film A Little Romance . In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the star to talk about her more than four decades on screen, including her latest role as the President of the United States in a new series that takes place in a post...
Oct 03, 2021•49 min
Ray Liotta may be best known for his breakout performance as real-life gangster Henry Hill in the iconic movie Goodfellas , a role that had the former soap opera star sharing famous scenes with Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro and Lorraine Bracco. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the actor to talk about that indelible movie and his career since then, including a variety of film and television roles and even a stop on Broadway, before returning to the mob life with his la...
Sep 26, 2021•41 min
The world has been introduced over the last few years to the many talents of Cynthia Erivo. In 2020, the British singer and actress was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance of Harriet Tubman, after previously winning a Tony, a Grammy and an Emmy for her lead role as Celie in The Color Purple on Broadway. In this week’s Sunday Sitdown, Willie Geist gets together with the Erivo to talk about her successful career, including the release of her debut solo album and her new children’s b...
Sep 19, 2021•36 min
As a bonus for Sunday Sitdown listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of the brand new original podcast, Making Space with Hoda Kotb. Join TODAY’s Hoda Kotb on a journey of self-discovery and resilience of the human spirit. Hoda hears from some of the people she admires most, and whose stories of personal triumph keep her going. Like Hoda, you’ll leave these talks stronger than when you started and inspired to make space in your own life. Listen now to Making Space with Hoda Kotb: https://lin...
Sep 14, 2021•2 min
Since starring together in The Three Amigos in 1986, Steve Martin and Martin Short have worked together on the blockbuster Father of the Bride movies, toured the country making relentless jokes at each other’s expense, and now they’re starring in a hilarious new series about three neighbors working together to solve a murder in their New York City apartment building. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown” Willie Geist gets together with the two comedy legends to talk about that series Only Murders in t...
Sep 12, 2021•41 min
Since their debut in 2013, Dan + Shay have made a name for themselves as one of the best-selling duos in all of music, racking up 3 Grammy Awards and a staggering 8 billion streams of their songs. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the country music duo to talk about their new album Good Things and the story behind their professional partnership born out of a late night house party in Nashville.
Sep 05, 2021•58 min
Sandra Oh is best known for her role as Dr. Christina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy , which earned her five consecutive Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe award. Since ending her run on that show, she has starred in and executive produced the hit series Killing Eve , hosted the Golden Globes and Saturday Night Live , and been named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People.” In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with Oh to talk about that success as well as her latest p...
Aug 29, 2021•29 min
In the 39 years since audiences fell in love with Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High , the two-time Academy Award winner has become one of the best and most respected actors in Hollywood. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with Penn to talk about his impressive career, including his new movie Flag Day and his humanitarian work off-screen with his foundation, CORE.
Aug 22, 2021•47 min
Jane Krakowski has been working steadily on television, in the movies and on Broadway since she was a teenager, breaking out with a Golden Globe nominated performance on the series Ally McBeal . In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the actress to talk about a career that has taken her from that memorable role to 30 Rock , Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and a Tony Award on Broadway.
Aug 15, 2021•52 min
Luke Bryan has been one of the biggest draws in all of music for nearly a decade, but his audience has grown recently thanks to his role as a judge on American Idol alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the country music star in Nashville to talk about that rise to the top of the music world, and the triumphs and trials along the way.
Aug 08, 2021•59 min
The multi-talented musician H.E.R. has worked to avoid becoming a package for pop cultural consumption, with her name and signature sunglasses meant to make the audience focus on the music and not on her. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the artist to talk about her meteoric rise from child prodigy to the heights of the music world, including winning a Grammy, an Oscar and performing at the Super Bowl.
Jul 11, 2021•32 min
Brad Paisley started his career in Nashville as a songwriter, landing his first hit 25 years ago before the world knew his name. Since then, the West Virginia native has become one of the most popular artists in all of music while rolling out platinum albums, selling out arenas and hosting the CMA Awards with Carrie Underwood. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the country superstar at the Ryman Auditorium to talk about that rise to the top and his efforts to give b...
Jul 04, 2021•38 min
Will Arnett was bouncing around New York and Los Angeles for more than a decade doing dramatic work when he landed a role that put him on the path to comedy stardom - the hilariously buffoonish magician Gob Bluth on Arrested Development . In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist talks to the actor about that breakthrough, the new season of his hit series Lego Masters and those pipes that have him voicing every commercial on TV.
Jun 27, 2021•48 min
Trevor Noah was virtually unknown to American audiences when he inherited The Daily Show seat from Jon Stewart in 2015. Since then, the South African comedian has made the nightly show his own, even while hosting this year from a corner of his New York City apartment. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with Noah in a park across the street from The Daily Show studio to talk about this past year and why he’s hopeful for the future of the country after the pandemic....
Jun 20, 2021•44 min
Matthew McConaughey is known for his free-spirited, easy-going philosophy on life, as embodied in his famous catchphrase “Alright, Alright, Alright.” The actor first uttered those words in the movie Dazed and Confused and they have followed him through a long career in Hollywood, from romantic comedies to TV series to an Academy Award for Dallas Buyers Club. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with McConaughey over Zoom to talk about that journey and what it was like to r...
Jun 13, 2021•40 min
Julianne Moore grew up moving around the world with her military dad before making her way to Hollywood as a young actress. Since then she’s had an extraordinary career, including five Academy Award nominations and a win for her performance in Still Alice . In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with Moore to talk about her shift from movies to television with her latest role in the Stephen King series Lisey’s Story .
Jun 06, 2021•30 min
Kevin Hart has barely slowed down during the pandemic – he released a Netflix comedy special, a new movie, a new book and he has a new baby daughter. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the comedy superstar to talk about his busy year and his turn towards dramatic acting in his latest film, Fatherhood .
May 30, 2021•32 min
The son of a Hollywood icon, Michael Douglas made a name for himself in the 1980s with a string of hit movies, from Wall Street and Fatal Attraction to Romancing the Stone . In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the Oscar winner to talk about his successful career, including the final season of his award-winning Netflix series The Kominsky Method .
May 23, 2021•39 min
Forest Whitaker does not look for the spotlight, but it always seems to find him. He was a high school football star in Southern California, a talented young opera singer in college and now he is one of Hollywood’s most respected actors. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the Academy Award winner to talk about his career from The Color of Money to The Butler , and his latest role as a crime boss in the hit show Godfather of Harlem .
May 16, 2021•38 min
Over the course of two decades in Hollywood, Michael B. Jordan has made a name for himself in television series like The Wire and Friday Night Lights , and in movies like Fruitvale Station , Creed and of course the billion-dollar blockbuster Black Panther . In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the actor to talk about his impressive career, his new leading role as a Tom Clancy Navy SEAL, and his current reign as People’s “Sexiest Man Alive.”...
May 09, 2021•26 min
Growing up, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson bounced around the country as the son of barnstorming professional wrestler Rocky Johnson. He eventually got into the family business and became the biggest star in wrestling, before transitioning to Hollywood where he is now the highest-paid actor in the business. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with Johnson to talk about that career move, the latest calls for him to run for president and his successful new tequila brand, Tereman...
May 02, 2021•48 min
Justin Theroux began his career on the stage in New York City, where he still lives today. He eventually landed roles on Sex and the City and in movies like American Psycho and Mulholland Drive , but nothing would compare to the attention he earned after marrying Jennifer Aniston. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the actor at the bar he owns in Manhattan to talk about that wild ride and his latest television series The Mosquito Coast ....
Apr 25, 2021•49 min
As a bonus for Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of Killer Role, a new podcast from Dateline NBC and Keith Morrison. An actress playing a killer in a horror film is so good, you’d almost think she’d done it in real life. Turns out she had… Dateline’s Keith Morrison takes you inside a story where fiction and reality collide. Search for Killer Role and listen now.
Apr 13, 2021•2 min
