Glenn Edward Lee Beck was born in Everett, Washington, to William and Mary Beck, who lived in Mountlake Terrace, Washington.[7] The family later moved to Mount Vernon, Washington,[8] where they owned and operated City Bakery in the downtown area.[9] He is descended from German immigrants who came to the United States in the 1800s.[10] Beck was raised as a Roman Catholic and attended Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Mount Vernon.
This was followed by Beck going on a "spiritual quest" where he "sought out answers in churches and bookstores."[18] As Beck later recounted in his books and stage performances, his first attempt at self-education involved six wide-ranging authors, comprising what Beck jokingly calls "the library of a serial killer": Alan Dershowitz, Pope John Paul II, Adolf Hitler, Billy Graham, Carl Sagan, and Friedrich Nietzsche.[18][20] During this time, Beck's Mormon friend and former radio partner Pat Gray argued in favor of the "comprehensive worldview" offered by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, an offer that Beck rejected until a few years later.[18]
In 1999, Beck married his second wife, Tania.[18] After they went looking for a faith on a church tour together, they [18] joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October 1999, partly at the urging of his daughter Mary.[22][23] Beck was baptized by his old friend, and current-day co-worker Pat Gray.[18] Beck and his current wife have had two children together, Raphe (who is adopted) and Cheyenne. The couple live in New Canaan, Connecticut, with the four children.[24]