Nate Bargatze Sets the Record Straight on Whether He’s Quitting Stand-Up Comedy (Exclusive)
Nate Bargatze Sets the Record Straight on Whether He’s Quitting Stand-Up Comedy (Exclusive)
Toria SheffieldSun, March 1, 2026 at 4:00 PM UTC
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Nate Bargatze clarified his past comments on whether he's stepping away from stand-up comedy
Bargatze shared his thoughts during a PEOPLE in 10 interview
The comedian, 46, had said he wanted to do other things in an April 2025 interview with The New York Times
Nate Bargatze revealed whether he’s throwing in the towel on stand-up comedy now that he’s embarking on a number of new career ventures.
Bargatze sat down for a PEOPLE in 10 interview, where he dished on raising his daughter in his home state of Tennessee and hosting his new game show, The Greatest Average American, among other things.
During the conversation, PEOPLE asked the comedian about a comment he made in a profile published by The New York Times in April, when he said he planned to step away from stand-up to pursue other things.
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“I like experience. I think you learn the most from experience, so I kind of wanna dabble in everything, like, create all these kinds of things,” Bargatze, 46, told PEOPLE.
Nate Bargatze hosting 'The Greatest Average American' on ABCCredit: Connie Chornuk/Disney via Getty
“So I've been there, and I've done that,” he added about stand-up. “I'm not quitting stand-up right now. I got this [current] tour, we're doing another tour, but there's gonna be a point where it's gonna get hard to travel on the road as we're creating so much stuff and making these movies,” he continued.
“And then I wanna go help find the next generation of comedians, or actors … writers. And I at least wanted them to stand there and tell them that I have done what I'm asking them to do,” he added.
The comedian went on to discuss the concept for his trivia game show, The Greatest Average American, which premiered on Feb. 25 on ABC.
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“I just like creating things that I really want to involve an audience,” he said.
Nate Bargatze at a NASCAR event in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Feb. 15, 2026Credit: James Gilbert/Getty
He continued, “I wanted to make something for people to watch. I love doing [stand-up] shows. To be in front of people and to create things, and be fun and funny and silly.
“And, you know, I had this idea kind of popping in my head, and then I got with [the show’s producer] John Quinn, [who has] created a lot of game shows. So it just kind of went rolling from there,” he explained.
The comedian also shared some details about his personal life, noting that he moved his family out of Los Angeles to Tennessee, which he said helps keep his daughter, Harper, 13, grounded in normal life.
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“I moved back to Nashville about 10 years ago,” he recalled. “We live in a great neighborhood. We're in a cul-de-sac. No one's really in entertainment that's there. [It’s] people that have regular jobs.”
“She knows I [work in entertainment] … She sees [parts] of it. But overall, you know, she's going to school. And I specifically moved home for her, for that,” he added.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
