John Mulaney and Nate Bargatze's Friendship Is Rooted in Comedy

John Mulaney and Nate Bargatze have a lot in common. Aside from being stand-up comedians who’ve sold out arenas, they’ve both hosted Saturday Night Live multiple times, most recently in Season 50.

Bargatze returned as an SNL Host for a second time on October 5, reprising his viral “Washington’s Dream” sketch. Meanwhile, Mulaney will return to SNL on November 9, marking his sixth time hosting the sketch comedy show. 

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With Mulaney from Chicago and Bargatze from Tennessee, these two funny guys formed a friendship thanks to their love of comedy. Read on to find out what they’ve shared about each other and how they’ve supported each other’s careers. 

John Mulaney and Nate Bargatze have known each other for years

In an episode of Bargatze’s podcast Nateland, the comedian said he knew Mulaney when he was getting started in stand-up comedy and booking segments on late night TV in New York City. “I knew Mulaney, who I started with, John Mulaney kind of started at the same time,” Bargatze said, adding that he remembers that Mulaney “was an unbelievable comedian.”

Since those early days, Bargatze, 45, and Mulaney, 42, have both made their mark in the industry with their signature brands of comedy. 

From 2008 to 2013, Mulaney was a writer for SNL, creating the legendary Stefon character on “Weekend Update” with Bill Hader. He’s returned to host SNL multiple times and became a member of the “Five-Timers Club” in 2022. Outside of SNL, Mulaney created and starred in The Oh, Hello Show on Broadway with Nick Kroll and has released multiple stand-up specials including New in Town, The Comeback Kid, Kid Gorgeous, and Baby J. 

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Known for his clean comedy, Bargatze’s career has earned the nickname of “The Nicest Man in Stand-Up.” After performing on late night talk shows, including The Tonight Show over 10 times, Bargatze has put out several stand-up specials, including one that earned him a Grammy nomination. After his 2015 special Full Time Magic, he went on to release The Tennessee Kid, The Greatest Average American, and Hello World. Bargatze also started a production company and wrote his first book, Big Dumb Eyes, which comes out in May 2025.

John Mulaney and Nate Bargatze have shared the comedy stage together

In May 2024, Mulaney invited Bargatze to appear on his live six-part special, Everybody's in LA. On Episode 3 (“Helicopters”), the two swapped jokes with fellow comedians Richard Kind, Patton Oswalt, and Earthquake as well as reporter Zoey Tur and prosecutor Marcia Clark. When Mulaney introduced Bargatze, he described him as one of his “favorite comics” and a good friend. 

The two have collaborated behind-the-scenes, too. Before Bargatze hosted SNL for the first time in 2023, he said that Mulaney helped him prepare for the gig. “I talked to John Mulaney, pretty quickly, right after we found out, and he really talked me through it all,” Bargatze told Entertainment Tonight, adding that Jerry Seinfeld, Pete Davidson, and Kumail Nanjani also shared advice with him. “They've been very nice and telling me what to do and helping me with the sketches, and where you look for the cue cards, all of that stuff.”

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After his SNL debut, Bargatze posted a photo of him with Mulaney and Chris Rock on Instagram, and described hosting as “an unbelievably wild experience” and “the stuff of dreams.”

Watch Saturday Night Live on Saturdays at 11:30/10:30c on NBC. Stream all 50 seasons of SNL on Peacock.