Comedian Nate Bargatze says his commitment to clean, non-divisive humor has had an impact far beyond laughter. During a recent appearance on the “Armchair Expert” podcast, Bargatze shared the story of a teenage girl who had been considering taking her own life before finding comfort and connection with her father through Bargatze’s comedy.
“And then that story kept happening more and more where I would have people come up,” Bargatze said in an appearance on “Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard” March 23. “And so, then, now you do get to a point where you go, I have a trust to that audience.”
Nate Bargatze Explains His Commitment to Clean, Non-Political Comedy
Nate Bargatze is a Grammy-nominated stand-up comedian known for his clean, family-friendly comedy. He counts among his achievements several specials on Amazon and Netflix, including his latest, “Your Friend, Nate Bargatze.” He is currently on his Big Dumb Eyes World Tour.
Bargatze also hosted “Saturday Night Live” twice, playing the role of George Washington in two different skits that each went viral. Bargatze is a Christian and earlier in his career was the opening act for Anjelah Johnson-Reyes.
Shepard’s cohost, Monica Padman, asked Bargatze if he had ever been tempted to try “something a little dirtier” when he looked at the success of other comedians who were not doing clean acts.
“My mind just didn’t go that route of writing that kind of way,” said Bargatze, “and I never wanted to make someone feel bad in the crowd. I just didn’t like it, and it would make me so uncomfortable to do that.”
“I was always making fun of myself. So I think it kind of kept me in that realm,” he explained.
Bargatze did say that at one point early in his career he told a joke related to a bunch of prostitutes being murdered in New York. “It works very much in those rooms,” he said. After someone put the joke on YouTube, a lady “that is in that line of work” messaged Bargatze about it, and he responded to her.
“I’m so sorry,” he told her. “I didn’t know it was going to go up…I wouldn’t do that joke again. I know why I did it. I know why I came up with it, but like, I felt, I was like, ‘I’m so sorry.’”
Padman and Shepard agreed with each other that Bargatze apologizing was “so rare in this space.”
Comedian Nate Bargatze says his commitment to clean, non-divisive humor has had an impact far beyond laughter.Click to Post
