Nate Bargatze Shares a Wild Family Story in This Vintage Stand-Up Set

Since his debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon back in March 14, 2014, stand-up comic Nate Bargatze has made 13 appearances as either a comedian or a guest.

For his July 2017 Tonight Show comedy set, the Nashville-based comedian decided to dive into the Bargatze family history, sharing that one of his distant relatives actually had two thumbs on one of his hands — which indirectly led to his untimely demise.

"So, my last name is Bargatze. I know nothing about the history of my family. I've never really looked into it," he told The Tonight Show audience. "So I asked a great-uncle, [who] told me pretty wild story. We had a guy in our family that got killed, got murdered, actually, by a sickle. Like, the thing the Grim Reaper carries?"

"And this is like the 1800s, too, just so you don't have to feel... it's not a recent story," Bargatze quickly clarified, before going on to explain how and why it happened. "We're over it as a family."

"The guy's nickname, they called him 'Two Thumbs.' Two Thumbs Bargatze," he added, pointing out that he technically possessed three thumbs. "So not even a good nickname. I'm Two Thumbs Bargatze. Everybody but him is Two Thumbs Bargatze."

RELATED: Nate Bargatze Is Unrecognizable in His Hysterical First Tonight Show Stand-Up Set

Nate Bargatze has been on The Tonight Show 13 times

One reason Bargatze's comedy is so popular is because it's relatable. In another joke from his set, Bargatze reflects on the time he ended up accidentally ordering a weird drink at a coffee shop because the barista misheard him (a situation most cafe regulars have been in).

"The bad part about this is, it's happened twice," Bargatze joked. "The second time, you start looking at yourself. You start thinking like, 'I don't know if I know how to order. I'm not ordering correctly,' you know?"

Watch the hilarious Tonight Show appearance in the video above — and don't miss Bargatze's visit to Late Night with Seth Meyers on Thursday, October 3.

RELATED: Every Host of SNL Season 50

Nate Bargatze hosts SNL on October 5, 2024

James Austin Johnson, Kenan Thompson, host Nate Bargatze, and Mikey Day during the “Washington’s Dream” sketch on Saturday Night Live Episode 1847 on Saturday, October 28, 2023. Photo: Will Heath/NBC

Nate Bargatze made his SNL hosting debut on October 28, 2023, and returns just under one year later as Host for the second episode of Season 50 with Musical Guest Coldplay.

At the time of air, Bargatze's 2023 episode was SNL's highest-rated since Steve Martin and Martin Short hosted in 2022. While Ryan Gosling's April 13 episode broke that record as the most-watched of SNL Season 49, Bargatze's "Washington's Dream" sketch was a popular highlight of the season, gaining 11 million views on YouTube.