Submitted photos
Nate Bargatze is pictured outside the National Comedy Center.
Nate Bargatze, the latest Lucille Ball Comedy Festival headliner, is the newest member of the National Comedy Center’s Advisory Board of Directors.
Comedy Center officials announced the addition on Wednesday. Bargatze’s addition to the advisory board follows the 2022 addition of Amy Poehler, who was welcomed to the board by Pete Docter following the passing of founding advisory board members George Shapiro and Carl Reiner.
“The story of comedy is vast, and Nate has demonstrated a commitment to our mission to preserve that vital story,” said Journey Gunderson, National Comedy Center executive director. “He is influencing the comedy of the present and setting precedent with his accomplishments and dedication to the craft, while being equally dedicated to honoring the legacies of the long line of artists who came before him.”
While the museum is known for its interactivity, immersion and technology, Bargatze recently contributed artifacts to the Carl Reiner Department of Archives and Preservation at the National Comedy Center by donating the cue cards from the viral Saturday Night Live sketch “Washington’s Dream,” which aired when he first hosted the show in October 2023 and is now one of the most-viewed SNL sketches of all time.
Bargatze also appeared locally 2011 as a showcase comedian in a Comedy Late Night show during the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival while coming back to Jamestown in 2023 to tour the National Comedy Center before his appearance locally this summer.
“I’ve immersed myself in the exhibits for hours each time I’ve explored the National Comedy Center in Jamestown. It’s the only place that truly celebrates the essence of what we do. For an artist, it’s a tribute to this thing we work so hard at, and for the average visitor, it pulls back the curtain on what elevates it to being an art. The experience is just awesome,” Bargatze said.
Bargatze’s hosting debut on Saturday Night Live earned rave reviews and drew one of highest television audiences of the season. He will be hosting SNL once again this Saturday, October 5th as the second host of the show’s historic 50th season. In December, Bargatze’s first primetime special will premiere on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
Hailed as “The Nicest Man in Stand-Up,” by The Atlantic Magazine and “One of the Funniest People,” by CBS Mornings, Grammy nominated comedian, podcaster, director and producer Nate Bargatze is selling out shows and breaking venue attendance records with more than 1.2 million tickets sold on his The Be Funny Tour. He is currently the top earning comedian in the world, according to Pollstar’s recent report, and is 12th in overall live tour tickets sales, putting him in the company of Coldplay, Madonna and U2. In 2024 he broke 20 total arena records and headlined the National Comedy Center’s 2024 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival.
“Stand-up means so much to me, so I’m happy to be welcoming my good friend Nate, who shares that feeling, and who also supports the Comedy Center’s work to preserve the history of our craft while showcasing the process,” said fellow board member Jim Gaffigan.
Bargatze’s first solo one-hour Netflix special, The Tennessee Kid, premiered globally with rave reviews in 2019. In 2021, he released his critically-acclaimed second Netflix special, The Greatest Average American, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album. In 2023, Nate released his latest and third one-hour special, Nate Bargatze: Hello World, on Amazon Prime which now holds the record as Amazon’s most-streamed original comedy special in its first 28 days of viewership.
Bargatze has made 13 appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the most appearances by any comedian. He also appeared on Conan four times and has appeared on Seth Meyers’ and James Corden’s respective late night shows.
In 2023, 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, including his own popular The Nateland Podcast, which featured Bargatze’s tour of the National Comedy Center.