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SNL Host Nate Bargatze's Father Is a Magician Who Opens for Him on Tour
Nate Bargatze is a seasoned standup known for his clean comedy, which you can watch in his streaming specials and on The Be Funny Tour (his dad is an opening act!).
On October 5, 2024, Nate Bargatze returns to host Saturday Night Live for his second time with Musical Guest Coldplay. With few acting credits, Bargatze's October 28, 2023 debut was a big pivot for the stand-up comic. But at the time of its premiere, the episode wound up being the highest-rated since Martin Short and Steve Martin's in 2022.
But if you haven't watched Bargatze’s wildly popular standup specials or seen him live, you may still need a refresher on the Season 50 Host's career. Though you also might've caught him on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he's made 13 appearances as a stand-up comic and guest!
The comedian has been performing standup for over 20 years, and between his ongoing The Be Funny Tour, second SNL stint, and recently joining the National Comedy Center's Advisory Board, Bargatze’s star continues to rise.
Here’s a few things to know about the SNL Host Nate Bargatze, who's been called "The Nicest Man in Stand-Up."
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Nate Bargatze is a stand-up comic from Tennessee.
Specifically, Old Hickory, Tennessee, in the Nashville metro area—and Bargatze’s roots are no secret, as one of his standup specials is titled The Tennessee Kid.
In April 2023, Bargatze reached a major milestone in terms of hometown success: He broke the attendance record at Tennessee’s Bridgestone Arena with 19,365 attendees, The Tennessean reported.
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Bargatze is known for clean comedy that’s family-friendly.
In the vein of comics like Jim Gaffigan (who made his own SNL debut during the Season 50 premiere as VP candidate Tim Walz), Bargatze makes a point of crafting jokes that make people laugh without the use of curses or vulgar humor.
Bargatze has previously explained his approach to joke-writing was born from not wanting to embarrass his parents.
"I just can't imagine cursing in front of your parents," Bargatze told Fox News in February 2023. "Still, even now, I'm 43-years-old and I still just couldn't do that. So that's how I write. I think I write my comedy to— a lot of it is to make my parents laugh.”
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He added that it’s also due to his religious upbringing. “I come from a Christian family and Southern Christian, so I wasn't allowed to watch anything, which I talk about in the special,” he told Fox. “And so growing up and only watching clean comedians, it was just how I was going to be. And it would feel forced if I was not."
How many Nate Bargatze specials are there to stream?
Five: Hello World, The Greatest Average American, The Tennessee Kid, Full Time Magic, and a half-hour episode on Netflix series The Standups.
Hello World was released on Amazon Prime Video in January 2023 and became the streamer's most-watched comedy special, drawing 2.9 million viewers in the first 28 days.
Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American, which earned a 2022 Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album, and 2019's The Tennessee Kid are both available on Netflix.
You can stream Bargatze's first special, Full Time Magic, on Paramount Plus.
Bargatze's George Washington sketch was one of the most-watched
The "Washington's Dream" sketch from Bargatze's first SNL — which Seth Meyers deemed "perfect" — was the second-most-watched of Season 49. It's gotten 11 million views on the show's YouTube account to date.
Nate Bargatze is on tour now—and his magician dad one of his opening acts
Bargatze's material frequently mentions both his wife and his parents—including his father, Stephen Bargatze, who is an actual professional magician.
In fact, his dad has been one of the opening acts on his The Be Funny Tour, which continually rolls out new tour dates.
“You know, it’s every little boy’s dream to travel with your dad when you’re 44 years old,” Bargatze joked to Jimmy Fallon during an October 9, 2023 Tonight Show appearance. Speaking Fallon, he also took a stab at opening for Bargatze at a January 2024 New Jersey show.
"You killed it last night! Always welcome!!" Bargatze commented on Fallon's Instagram post celebrating the evening.
So how do you pronounce Nate Bargatze's name?
It's Bar-GET-see (not Bar-GOT-see), as Fallon and Bargatze clarify in the interview above.
Watch Nate Bargatze on Saturday Night Live on October 5 at 11:35/10:35 p.m. on NBC and Peacock, and stream full episodes next day on Peacock.
Originally published Oct 23, 2023.
