ROBBY KLEIN
To say that Nate Bargatze knows how to make people laugh would be an understatement.
Throughout his 20+ year career, Bargatze has become a household name as a GRAMMY-nominated comedian, podcaster, director, and producer who is selling out shows and breaking attendance records across the country. And as big of an understatement as it may be, the driving force behind Bargatze’s popularity is that he truly understands how to make people laugh. With his clean and relatable comedy, he gives people an escape from the heaviness of daily life in a way that audiences of all ages can enjoy. It’s rare to be able to appeal to so many different people of all ages and walks of life, but Bargatze has cracked the comedic code. And he’s been honing his craft since he was just a kid living in Old Hickory.
“I would do stuff with my dad at church growing up, but I don’t know if I ever really thought about it like, ‘Oh, I’m funny.’ But I remember getting people to laugh,” Bargatze recalls. “When you make it a career, when you first start, you’re just starting, so I don’t know if you have any expectations. You’re just hoping you can do this. So much work goes into it. I would say probably in my late 20s is when I maybe started thinking [I could make it a career]. I worked at Applebee’s, I read water meters, I was like, ‘If I can make enough money that would be the same as whatever regular job I had, then I could do this as a career.’”
Bargatze certainly didn’t shy away from the hard work; in fact, he dove in head-first. After a move to Chicago where he took comedy classes, found some community among fellow comedic newcomers, and started to get his footing in the business, he made the move to New York City. That’s when the grind really began.
“I think it’s being young and just going out and doing it. I became obsessed with it. I think to do something that’s kind of out of the norm you have to have an obsession about it because you have to be willing to do it at all times. It’s almost like you have no control over it, you’re just like, ‘Well I’ve got to go. I’ve got to go do stuff. I’ve got to get up on stage,’” Bargatze says. “[In New York] I went on stage every night. I was there for about 8.5 years and it’s like being in the gym. You’re just constantly working, constantly going up and working on the jokes, and just figuring out what makes people laugh. You’ve got to figure out how to really do good in the club, like how to really make people laugh. Being able to do it and knowing that you could do it when you’re supposed to do it.”
It's clear that Bargatze has indeed figured it out. His first solo one-hour, wildly popular Netflix special, The Tennessee Kid, premiered in 2019, followed by his critically acclaimed second Netflix special, The Greatest Average American, in 2021, which received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Comedy Album. He released a third one-hour special, Nate Bargatze: Hello World, on Amazon Prime, which holds the record as Amazon’s most-streamed original comedy special in its first 28 days of viewership. He hosted Saturday Night Live for the second time this October, receiving rave reviews much like his first hosting appearance the year prior.
Last year, Bargatze unveiled Nateland Entertainment, a family-friendly content company where he produces standup comedy specials, showcases, sketches, and scripted episodic content for film, television, podcasts, music, and more. His Be Funny Tour has kept fans laughing nationwide with more than 1.2 million tickets sold. And as many Nashvillians who were lucky enough to be in the audience will remember, Bargatze also broke the attendance record at Bridgestone Arena in April of 2023.
“It’s like that saying: It’s always slower than you want but quicker than you think. It takes a long time, and you’re always just gradually going, going, going and once it starts connecting and hitting, it really goes very fast. That’s kind of where we’re at right now, where it’s all happening very fast,” Bargatze says. “It’s good that it took as long as it did because I’m more prepared for this stuff to happen now than I would have been 10 years ago. Not that you choose it, you don’t really get a choice in when that happens, but now being prepared, it’s much easier. Doing SNL, presenting at CMA Awards, or doing standup at these big arenas, you’re able to be like, ‘Alright, I’m just doing the thing that I do. I’m just doing it in a different setting, so I’ve just got to figure out how to do it in this larger setting.’”
Despite his many accolades, Bargatze has even more on the horizon. This November, he taped a primetime holiday variety special at the Grand Ole Opry, which will air on CBS December 19. Co-produced by Bargatze and Lorne Michaels’ production company Broadway Video, viewers can expect a mix of stand-up, shorts, sketches, musical guests, and a whole lot of holiday fun. It’s feel-good entertainment for all ages, and packs a dose of nostalgia that Bargatze (and many others) can appreciate.
“It’s kind of an old-school type thing. The TV that I knew growing up, and I think the TV that a lot of people knew, it’s just not completely there anymore. A Christmas variety special is something I don’t think has been done in a while. I wanted to make something that hopefully everybody is going to sit down and watch together as a family. I would like to start having some stuff like that; appointment viewing like the way it was. I think people still do want to sit together and have a plan for their night. So, it’s kind of going the old school way of having a variety special. It's just trying to be pure entertainment and have a nice, fun Christmas show,” he says.
To make the special, well, extra special, Bargatze taped the show at the Grand Ole Opry. It was a full-circle moment that his younger self never could have dreamed up.
“It means a lot. There used to be Opryland [USA] Theme Park and that was my first job. So, to be filming something here, I mean I couldn’t have even imagined it when I was 15. I was a sweeper at the park, and we would sweep in the park and the front steps of the Grand Ole Opry,” says Bargatze. “I want to start doing a lot of stuff in Nashville. Being from here, obviously Nashville has blown up, but I think there’s a lot of good, good, great people here and we can do a lot of stuff here. I’m glad that it’s something being shot here and hopefully we can do more stuff here.”
But that’s not all that Bargatze has in store this holiday season. His new stand-up special, Your Friend, Nate Bargatze premiers on Netflix December 24 with a second Netflix special slated to follow. With the popularity of his previous specials fueling this one, viewers are surely in for plenty of laughs.
“It’s the biggest one. It’s shot in an arena – you know I’m going to be biased because it’s mine – but it really looks great. We got some really awesome shots. With comedy, it’s kind of an intimate thing, so I believe we’re able to keep that with the cameras. It’s not like it’s always just this wide crazy shot,” Bargatze says. “We’ve been on a tour, I’ve been in the arenas, so it’s just capturing that. We went back to Phoenix where I taped the one before, and Phoenix is a great city. I’m excited. We taped it in April, so this will be the longest wait I’ve had between a special coming out. I’m excited to see the reaction.”
And Bargatze has even more to look forward to in the new year. This spring, he’s adding a new medium to his repertoire with the release of his first book, Big Dumb Eyes: Stories From A Simpler Mind, available May 6. As Bargatze sees it, releasing a book is another way to bring even more laughter into the lives of others.
“There’s a comedian, Paul Reiser, very funny. I remember reading his book when I first started comedy and I remember laughing like I was watching his standup on TV and I thought that was crazy to be laughing that hard by just reading something,” Bargatze says. “So, I think in the back of my head I always wanted to do it. It’s just trying to give more stuff for people to be able to take in that’s nothing heavy, it’s just trying to be a break from the stresses of everybody’s life.”
That desire to give people something light- hearted that they can enjoy is a common theme across all Bargatze’s many projects. It’s evident in his comedy, where he often pokes more fun at himself than the crowd, and when he does bring a loved one into the joke, he makes sure the humor is accompanied by plenty of love. Because for Bargatze, making people laugh is truly what it’s all about.
“I love making people laugh. When I’m on stage and see someone really, really laughing, like their whole body is shaking, that’s a wonderful feeling,” says Bargatze. “I like when you say something that just hits someone. Even though everybody could be laughing, for some reason that person maybe had that happen to them that day, it resonated with them, so hearing that is always very gratifying.”
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