Nate Bargatze Bio, Wiki
Nate Bargatze is an American Stand-up Comedian, Actor, and Author, well-known for recently hosting an ABC game show, The Greatest Average American. Also, he is known for his stand-up specials, and they include “Hello World” (2023), “Full Time Magic” (2015), and “The Greatest Average American” (2021). Bargatze is also well-recognized for appearing in several movies like “Are We Good?” (2025), “The Breadwinner” (2026), and “The New Yorker at 100” (2025).
Nate Bargatze Age
Bargatze is 47 years old as of 2026. He was born on March 25, 1979, in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Therefore, he celebrates his birthday every year on the 25th of March.
Nate Bargatze Height/Measurements
Durrant stands at an approximate height of 5 feet 8 inches.
Nate Bargatze Education
For his early schooling, Bargatze went to DuPont Elementary in Old Hickory, Tennessee – this was up to the 4th grade. He then moved to Donelson Christian Academy in Nashville – there he graduated in the year 1997. Bargatze later spent 1 year studying at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin. After that, Bargatze joined Western Kentucky University – but he failed all his classes and eventually left school.
Nate Bargatze Career
Early Life Career
While in college at Volunteer State Community College, Bargatze held several jobs like delivering furniture, construction work, a brief time at Applebee’s, and running a cellphone kiosk. Bargatze later worked as a meter-reader in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Inspired by the radio show “The Bob & Tom Show”, Bargatze decided to pursue comedy with a friend – his parents supported him at his very 1st open mic.
Bargatze started performing in the year 2002 and he moved to Chicago to try improv at The Second City – but he soon switched to stand-up at Jim Rauth’s Comedy College. During this time, Bargatze worked as a waiter, shared a basement apartment with his friend Michael Clay, and performed at Zanies Comedy Clubs in Nashville and Chicago.
In the year 2004, Bargatze moved to New York City – there he worked as a barker at the Boston Comedy Club while supporting himself as a dogwalker and FedEx driver. Bargatze spent about 1 year performing for small audiences before gaining traction. By the year 2008, Bargatze appeared on “Live at Gotham”, “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”, and the ‘Just for Laughs’ festival, won comedy festivals, toured with the USO, and released his first Comedy Central Presents special in the year 2011.
Professional Career | Breakthrough
Bargatze is known for his clean, deadpan style and monotone delivery. He gained major attention in the year 2017 when Netflix featured him in the first episode of “The Standups” – this boosted attendance at his shows. In the year 2019, his hour-long Netflix special “The Tennessee Kid” was released – it was praised as one of the year’s best. That same year, Bargatze filmed a sitcom pilot based on his life for ABC – but it was not picked up.
In the year 2020, Bargatze started “The Nateland Podcast” with Aaron Weber and Brian “Breakfast” Bates, later joined by Dusty Slay. Netflix released his next special, “The Greatest Average American”, in the year 2021 – this earned a Grammy nomination. Also, Bargatze voiced a character in the game “Aperture Desk Job” and was called “The Nicest Man in Stand-Up” by “The Atlantic”. In the year 2023, his Amazon Prime special “Hello World” set a streaming record, and his sold-out Bridgestone Arena show in Nashville broke the venue’s attendance record.
Bargatze hosted “Saturday Night Live” in the years 2023 and 2024 – this gained attention for his sketches as George Washington. In the year 2024, Bargatze performed at the Netflix Is a Joke Festival and released his Netflix special “Your Friend, Nate Bargatze” – this was while topping the Billboard Boxscore with $82.2 million from 1.1 million tickets. Bargatze is set to make his feature film debut in “The Breadwinner” in the year 2026 and hosted the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards in the year 2025 – there he drew attention for a controversial donation counter but later personally donated $250K.
Nate Bargatze Awards and Honors
In the year 2026, Bargatze won a Grammy Award for ‘Best Comedy Album’ with “Your Friend, Nate Bargatze”. The previous year (in the year 2025), he was nominated at the Primetime Emmy Awards for ‘Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special’ and for ‘Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)’, both for “Your Friend, Nate Bargatze”. In the year 2021, Bargatze also received a Grammy nomination for ‘Best Comedy Album’ for “The Greatest Average American”.
Nate Bargatze Net Worth
In Bargatze’s career as a Stand-up Comedian, Actor, and Author, he has been able to accumulate a net worth of $40M.
Nate Bargatze Parents
Bargatze was born to Stephen Bargatze (father) and Carol Bargatze (mother). His mom had a job selling tickets for the Vanderbilt Commodores, whereas his dad worked as a motivational speaker, a clown, and belonged to the International Brotherhood of Magicians. His dad had a difficult youth and first planned to be a preacher – but he later earned a teaching degree from Trevecca Nazarene University about a decade after leaving high school. Also, Bargatze’s dad worked as a history teacher at Donelson Christian Academy. While Bargatze was growing up, his dad taught him magic tricks – Bargatze started acting in church skits when he was about 11 years old.
Nate Bargatze Siblings
Bargatze has 2 siblings: Abigail Bargatze (sister) and his brother, whose name is unknown (but his Instagram account is @dgatze). He often posts photos of his nieces and nephews on Instagram.
Nate Bargatze Cousin
Bargatze has a cousin who is famous. Ronnie Bargatze (his 2nd cousin) has played 3 different sports and later worked as a basketball coach at Vanderbilt University in the 1970s. Ronnie was later honored in the TSSAA Hall of Fame in the year 2018. Due to this family link, Bargatze has supported the Vanderbilt Commodores since he was young.
Nate Bargatze Spouse | Daughter
Bargatze is a married man – the name of his wife is Laura Blair. They tied the knot on October 13, 2006. The duo first met in their twenties while both had jobs at Applebee’s – Thompson Ln. The couple has a daughter, Harper Blair Bargatze, who is 13 years old as of 2025 – she was born on July 8, 2012. The family now lives in Nashville.
Nate Bargatze The Greatest Average American
Bargatze is the executive producer and host of the ABC game show “The Greatest Average American”, that premiered on February 25, 2026. In this show, participants take on challenges to show who is the most average American. The winner gets $67,920, which is the average yearly salary in the United States. The show is inspired by Bargatze’s 2021 Netflix comedy special.
Nate Bargatze Book
As an author, Bargatze has published 1 book: “Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind”. It was released in the year 2025 by Grand Central Publishing.
Nate Bargatze Political Views
Bargatze usually stays away from political topics. In a 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Bargatze said that he once thought about sharing his opinions after seeing other comedians gain fame that way. However, Bargatze decided that urge was more about himself than the audience – so he chose to focus on his own style instead.
Nate Bargatze Golfing
Bargatze really loves playing golf. In the year 2023, Bargatze joined the pro-am at the Simmons Bank Open and also played in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – there his handicap was listed as 7. Also, he is friends with pro golfer Brandt Snedeker.
Nate Bargatze Alcohol
Bargatze drank a lot when he first started doing comedy and said his alcohol problem almost ruined his career. He decided to quit drinking in the year 2018- it was after he realized that he had to remove it from his life to reach his goals.
Nate Bargatze Religion
Bargatze is a Christian. In an interview with The New York Times in the year 2025, Bargatze said his comedy is a way to serve God – but he avoids calling it “faith-based” since people might misunderstand or dismiss it.
Nate Bargatze Illness
Bargatze does not have any major chronic illness – but he has shared some health challenges. Bargatze has severe ragweed allergies that sometimes make his lips swell. Also, Bargatze takes medication for ADHD and anxiety. Bargatze has also joked about past struggles with weight, diet, exercise, and having had 3 concussions – he often mentions this in his comedy.
Nate Bargatze Volunteer Work
Bargatze gave $1.15 million in the year 2024 to help build an indoor sports facility at his old school, Donelson Christian Academy – he later named it after him. In the year 2025, Bargatze said that he hopes to create a Nashville theme park called Nateland (inspired by Opryland USA) – there he worked as a teen.
Nate Bargatze Standup Specials
Other stand-up specials by Bargatze (apart from the ones mentioned on the biography part) include
- “Your Friend, Nate Bargatze” (2024)
- “The Tennessee Kid” (2019)
- “Comedy Central Presents” (2011)
Nate Bargatze TV Shows
Bargatze has appeared in many television shows, and some of them are;
- “77th Primetime Emmy Awards” (2025)
- “The Standups” (2017)
- “Nate Bargatze’s Nashville Christmas” (2024)
- “Saturday Night Live” (2023 and 2024)
- “Conan” (2011 – 2013)
- “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA” (2024)
- “Maron” (2014)
- “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” (2008-2009)
Nate Bargatze Discography
Bargatze has released several comedy albums over the years:
- Full Time Magic
- Yelled At By a Clown
- The Tennessee Kid
- Hello World
- The Greatest Average American
- Your Friend, Nate Bargatze
Nate Bargatze Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, & Instagram
He is vocal on his social media accounts, where he posts frequently. On his TikTok page, he has around 1.7M followers, about 2.1M followers on Facebook, around 3M followers on Instagram, and about 219.4K followers on Twitter (X).