After building a devoted fanbase through a series of stand-up specials, comedian Nate Bargatze is gearing up for his Saturday Night Live debut. Of course, like many SNL first-timers, Bargatze turned to previous hosts for some advice about taking on the gig. Now, in preparation for his hosting debut, the comedian opened up about getting help from Pete Davidson, Jerry Seinfeld, and more.
The beloved stand-up comedian opened up to ET about the advice he received after his hosting gig was announced. As “The Nicest Man in Stand-Up,” he’s built up enough rapport with other comedians that they couldn’t wait to give him some tips on hosting the late-night institution. Upon hearing the exciting news, he revealed how SNL Five Timer John Mulaney got him through the process.
I talked to John Mulaney, pretty quickly, right after we found out, and he really talked me through it all. When you come here [to the studio], you wrap your head around more of what it is — but everybody’s been super nice.
Getting advice from a frequent host like Mulaney was the right direction for Bargatze to go. The Big Mouth star does an excellent job mingling with the not-ready-for-primetime players. Despite Mulaney’s support, the Grammy-nominated comic called sketch comedy “a whole different beast altogether.” He was confident about his opening monologue but admitted the cast and crew helped him with his nervousness regarding skits. After conversing with the frequent SNL host, other comedians who’ve hosted the show reached out to Bargatze with endless tips. He said:
I’ve talked to [Jerry] Seinfeld about it, Pete Davidson, Kumail Nanjiani. Like, there’s a lot of people who reached out. They’ve been very nice and telling me what to do and helping me with the sketches, and where you look for the cue cards, all of that stuff. So everybody’s been super cool and so hopefully I don’t blow it for everybody.
Having the likes of Seinfeld and Davidson reach out to him was a nice moment of camaraderie in the competitive world of stand-up. The latter had better insight after making his SNL hosting debut the previous week following his departure from the show in 2021. So, the comedy star knows both sides of the coin. Maybe Davison’s advice will culminate in a viral sketch for Nate Bargatze much like his “I’m Just Ken” parody.
Despite only getting a chance to host SNL now, Nate Bargatze has experience in the TV space. Working in comedy since 2002, he has appeared in numerous comedy specials, with the most recent special, Hello World, being released for those with an Amazon Prime subscription.
Nate Bargatze’s SNL debut will premiere on October 28 at 11:30 pm EST on NBC with frequent musical guest Foo Fighters. You can also check out the episode the next day through a Peacock subscription. Don’t forget to look over our 2023 TV schedule to keep up with the hosts and musical guests for Season 49.