Nate Bargatze Reveals Plans for the Future in Exclusive Parade Cover Story: ‘I hope to get out of the way and let the next wave of comedians come up’

December 20, 2024 at 09:46 AM EST

2024’s top-earning comic opens up about his family-friendly comedy, golf game, upcoming book, and best and worst financial decisions.

Link to cover story

Link to Video

Parade, the premium legacy entertainment and lifestyle brand, released its latest cover story, featuring an exclusive interview with 2024’s top-earning comic, as well as podcaster, producer and soon-to-be author, Nate Bargatze.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241220654560/en/

Nate Bargatze Reveals Plans for the Future in Exclusive Parade Cover Story: ‘I hope to get out of the way and let the next wave of comedians come up’ (Photo: Business Wire)

In this candid interview with Sara Silverstein, CEO of Parade’s parent company, The Arena Group, Bargatze (45) explains his routines (or lack thereof), talks about his iconic SNL George Washington sketch, his best and worst financial decisions and his aspirations for building a family-friendly entertainment empire.

Bargatze’s comedy special, Your Friend, Nate Bargatze, premieres globally on Netflix on Christmas Eve. He also has a holiday variety show, Nate Bargatze’s Nashville Christmas, which aired Dec. 19 on CBS (now streaming on Paramount+).

Read the full interview here. Video link here. Notable quotes are below.

On why he started doing comedy:

“I was [previously] a water meter reader. I moved to New York City [from Chicago] after I watched Comedian, a Jerry Seinfeld documentary about him doing stand-up in NYC. I knew that’s where I needed to be.”

On when he first felt like he “made it”

“I don't know if you ever feel like you make it. When I first started, I did a couple late-night shows and I performed on some cruise ships. That was a moment of, ‘All right, worst case scenario, I can do these cruise ships.’ So, [when] you just hit those markers … you just feel it's getting bigger.”

On his pre-performance routine

“I call my wife and daughter before every show and they say, ‘Be funny.’ ”

On Nateland Entertainment and upcoming film, The Breadwinner

“I was never great at auditioning for other people’s movies. So I kind of figured I would have to just make my own. I want to be able to create movies that hopefully the whole family can come out to. I believe people still want to go to movies and [that they] still like appointment-type television. My goal is to eventually be producing and making shows. Then hopefully get out of the way and let the next wave of comedians come up."

On his worst financial decision when his career started taking off

“One night I decided I'm going to try to watch movies that smart people watch. So, I bought One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest on Apple. But it was already on Netflix and I didn't notice it. I could have watched it for free. I'm just like, Why would I not check Netflix first? So that's a tough one to get over.”

On reprising his iconic George Washington role on SNL

“I was worried about doing it again, but when I saw the new one it felt like he had different enough parts and I realized it was just fun to be George Washington.”

On his favorite fast-food order

“McDonald's No. 1. No onions, Diet Coke and a little Filet-O-Fish ‘side sandwich.’ I just had McDonald’s [at his hotel] last night. DoorDash at a hotel is embarrassing. You're going to the door and you're like, ‘Let me meet you in an alley. I don't want these people seeing this.’ I've got a big problem.”

To read this story, or any of previous Parade cover stories, click here.

About Parade

Parade, the premium legacy entertainment and lifestyle brand, has been enlightening, delighting and inspiring audiences for more than 80 years. Parade is owned and operated by The Arena Group (NYSE American: AREN), an innovative technology platform and media company with a proven cutting-edge playbook that transforms media brands. Arena’s unified technology platform empowers creators and publishers with tools to publish and monetize their content, while also leveraging quality journalism of anchor brands like TheStreet, Parade, Men’s Journal and Athlon Sports to build their businesses. The company aggregates content across a diverse portfolio of brands, reaching over 100 million users monthly. Visit us at thearenagroup.net and discover how we are revolutionizing the world of digital media.