Comedian Nate Bargatze served as grand marshal for the Daytona 500, revealing the jokes he considered but ultimately skipped, amidst a banner year of career achievements including Emmy and Grammy wins, a record-breaking tour, and upcoming film and TV projects.
Nate Bargatze, the acclaimed stand-up comedian, served as grand marshal for the Daytona 500, where he considered injecting 'big, dumb jokes' into his command for drivers to start their engines. He recounted testing a joke about 'feet in 500 miles' that didn't land well and another about Jimmie Johnson's age, ultimately deciding to keep his delivery 'normal' for the 'dream' experience. This high-profile appearance is one of many recent successes for Bargatze, who recently hosted the Emmy Awards, released three Netflix specials, and won a Best Comedy Album Grammy for 'Your Friend, Nate Bargatze.' His 'Big Dumb Eyes World Tour' set records for the biggest one-year gross by a comedy performer and over 40 arena attendance records. Bargatze is also set to star in his first movie, 'The Breadwinner,' which he co-wrote, drawing inspiration from his stand-up and classic family comedies like 'Mr. Mom' and 'Home Alone.' The film, co-starring Mandy Moore, Colin Jost, and Will Forte, opens May 29. Furthermore, Bargatze will host the ABC game show 'The Greatest Average American' and continues his stand-up tour. He humorously embraced his 'average' persona when receiving a Daytona 500 hat numbered 302 out of 500, stating it reflects humility and his 'average American' identity.
