Nate Bargatze Talks Hosting 'SNL' and Jerry Seinfeld's Advice

Nate Bargatze is looking forward to bringing his brand of wry humor to "Saturday Night Live" in his first ever gig as host of the long-running sketch show Oct. 28.

Performing with musical guest Foo Fighters, Bargatze tells TODAY.com that he's excited to be hosting the show.

"People ask about being nervous," Bargatze says during a sit-down interview. "(But) your nerves just kind of become excitement. I'm very excited to see that world."

Bargatze has been making audiences laugh with his family-friendly comedy for more than 20 years, but it's really in the last few that he's become a household name after a string of successful TV specials including "The Greatest Average American" and “The Tennessee Kid."

Comedian Nate Bargatze performs in Tennessee in 2023.Terry Wyatt / Getty Images

As the name of his popular special implies, Bargatze is a Tennessee native and got his start in Chicago before sharpening his chops in the comedy clubs of New York City. As recent as five years ago, the comedian tells TODAY.com that he would have never imagined standing on the hallowed ground of the "SNL" stage.

"From five years ago to be here is definitely pretty wild," says Bargatze. "It feels like it's really sped up. I've done this for 20 years and it takes a long time to then go super fast."

On the road with his latest tour, the comedian recently sold out a more than 19,000-seat arena in his hometown of Nashville, a record sellout for a comedian. And while it may seem that his success is somewhat overnight, Bargatze says it's been a long time in the making.

"I've done this for 20 years, and it takes a long time to then go super fast," he explains, saying that the upside is that the process has taught him to adapt. "I'm grateful that it took this long because I think I'm much more prepared for the stuff I'm going to be put into now."

Part of that prep came from working at Applebee's in his younger years. In addition to meeting his wife, Laura, there, Bargatze says his biggest takeaway from waiting tables at the chain restaurant was learning a sense of urgency.

"I've used that my whole life," he says and explains that in conveying to people that he was making an effort as a server, it helped them feel better about their experience.

"If you look like your trying, then they feel much better," he says.

It's a lesson he's carried with him. He says the principle can be applied to just about everything in life, and it's likely that code of ethics that's earned Bargatze the nickname “The Nicest Man in Stand-Up."

But it's Bargatze's reputation as an all around nice guy that takes a beating in "SNL's" tease for the upcoming show. In the trailer, the comedian is urged by fellow "SNL" cast members, Devon Walker and Andrew Dismukes, to do whatever he wants given that he's the host of the show.

Embracing the advice, Bargatze goes full-on diva, hilariously throwing coffee cups, ripping cue cards, spraying graffiti and smashing guitars before smiling and asking, "How's that?"

"SNL" rampages aside, Bargatze says the clean aspect of his comedy is important to him and as part of his new company, Nateland, he'd like to produce more family-friendly material.

"Not that you're making comedy for kids, but I just don't want anybody to feel uncomfortable watching it with their parents or if your kids watch," he says.

He says he’s also mindful of how his wife and 11-year-old daughter, Harper, might feel about his routines, given so many of them draw from his family life. Among the most memorable of his bits is Bargatze’s take on wife Laura’s confusing approach to timing a trip to the airport.

“Laura, I don’t know if you even know what an airport is,” Bargatze cracks in “The Tennessee Kid,” before continuing, “But if the plane was in our driveway, I don’t think you could make it.”

According to Bargatze, he considers how his family might feel before including them in a routine.

"You just try to have a balance. You try to do everything where you just have that nice love with it," he says.

As far as his debut on "SNL," Bargatze says he's focusing on his monologue — advice that comes straight from veteran comedian, Jerry Seinfeld.

“He talked about the monologue,” Bargatze says of a recent conversation he had with Seinfeld. “He’s like, ‘The monologue. That’s why you’re there. That’s your job.’”

Jerry Seinfeld performing at Carnegie Hall in 2023. Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images

A long-time fan of Seinfeld's observational humor, Bargatze says, "I just kind of follow whatever that dude says. There's just so much he's talked about comedy that I do," he says. "I don't wear short sleeves on shirts because he said not to."

Really?

"He didn't really say not to," Bargatze says with a laugh, before explaining that Seinfeld jokes about not wearing short sleeves in the documentary "Comedian."

It's something Bargatze apparently took to heart.

"I'm just like, 'Alright. I won't do it.'"

Sarah Lemire

Sarah Lemire is a lifestyle reporter at TODAY.com with more than a decade of experience writing across an array of channels including home, health, holidays, personal finance, shopping, food, fashion, travel and weddings. An avid traveler, foodie, helicopter parent and couch film critic, Sarah is originally from Minneapolis and has spent the last two decades unsuccessfully trying to figure out the difference between a hoagie and a sub.