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The National Comedy Center, the United States’ official museum and national archive dedicated to the art of comedy, announced today that Nate Bargatze has joined its Advisory Board of Directors.

Bargatze, who has been breaking records and selling out shows worldwide, will help to guide the Center’s non-profit mission to present the vital story of comedy, providing education on the comedic arts in the form of contextualization of its bodies of work and preserving its heritage for future generations.

Nate Bargatze’s addition to the advisory board follows the 2022 addition of Amy Poehler, who was welcomed to the board by Pete Docter following the passings of founding advisory board members George Shapiro and Carl Reiner.

“The story of comedy is vast, and Nate has demonstrated a commitment to our mission to preserve that vital story,” stated National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson. “He is influencing the comedy of the present and setting precedent with his accomplishments and dedication to the craft, while being equally dedicated to honoring the legacies of the long line of artists who came before him.”

“I’ve immersed myself in the exhibits for hours each time I’ve explored the National Comedy Center in Jamestown. It’s the only place that truly celebrates the essence of what we do. For an artist, it’s a tribute to this thing we work so hard at, and for the average visitor, it pulls back the curtain on what elevates it to being an art. The experience is just awesome,” stated Nate Bargatze.

“Stand-up means so much to me, so I’m happy to be welcoming my good friend Nate, who shares that feeling, and who also supports the Comedy Center’s work to preserve the history of our craft while showcasing the process,” said fellow board member Jim Gaffigan.

While the museum is known for its interactivity, immersion and technology, Bargatze recently contributed artifacts to the Carl Reiner Department of Archives and Preservation at the National Comedy Center by donating the cue cards from the viral Saturday Night Live sketch “Washington’s Dream,” which aired when he first hosted the show in October 2023 and is now one of the most-viewed SNL sketches of all time.

Bargatze’s hosting debut on Saturday Night Live earned rave reviews and drew one of highest television audiences of the season. He will be hosting SNL once again this Saturday, October 5^th as the second host of the show’s historic 50^th season. In December, Bargatze’s first primetime special will premiere on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

Hailed as “The Nicest Man in Stand-Up,” by The Atlantic Magazine and “One of the Funniest People,” by CBS Mornings, Grammy nominated comedian, podcaster, director and producer Nate Bargatze is selling out shows and breaking venue attendance records with more than 1.2 million tickets sold on his The Be Funny Tour. He is currently the #1 earning comedian in the world according to Pollstar’s recent report, and #12 in overall live tour tickets sales, putting him in the company of Coldplay, Madonna and U2. In 2024 he broke 20 total arena records and headlined the National Comedy Center’s 2024 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival.

Nate’s first solo one-hour Netflix special, The Tennessee Kid, premiered globally with rave reviews in 2019. In 2021, he released his critically-acclaimed second Netflix special, The Greatest Average American, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album. In 2023, Nate released his latest and third one-hour special, Nate Bargatze: Hello World, on Amazon Prime which now holds the record as Amazon’s most-streamed original comedy special in its first 28 days of viewership.

Bargatze has made 13 appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the most appearances by any comedian. He also appeared on Conan four times and has appeared on Seth Meyers’ and James Corden’s respective late night shows.

In 2023, Bargatze unveiled Nateland Entertainment, a family friendly content company where he produces standup comedy specials, showcases, sketches, and scripted episodic content for film, television, podcasts, music and more, including his own popular The Nateland Podcast, which featured Bargatze’s tour of the National Comedy Center.

Bargatze is currently on tour with all new material. For more information and tickets go to: https://natebargatze.com/

The National Comedy Center opened in 2018 and is the first and only Congressionally-designated national archive for the art of comedy, and one of the most interactive museums in the country. Named one of the “World’s Greatest Places” by TIME magazine and the “Best New Museum” by USA Today, the Comedy Center has collaborated with dozens of artists and estates to tell stories representing comedy’s significant artistic, social, and political role in American culture including the contributions of legendary artists like George Carlin, Johnny Carson, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Carl Reiner, Richard Pryor, Joan Rivers, Lenny Bruce, The Smothers Brothers, and the development of groundbreaking creative work such as sketch comedy series Laugh-In, Saturday Night Live, In Living Color, and more.

Within the Comedy Center’s museum galleries, more than 50 interactive exhibits and immersive experiences employ cutting-edge technology to present the story of comedy from its origins to the present day – using archival documents, artifacts, and media as their core.

The National Comedy Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural institution whose mission is funded by philanthropic support. Donations and grants support the museum and its work to present the vital story of comedy and preserve its heritage for future generations. Visit comedycenter.org.

About the National Comedy Center

The National Comedy Center is the United States’ official cultural institution, museum and national archive dedicated to presenting the vital story of comedy and preserving its heritage for future generations, as formally designated by the U.S. Congress. Opened in 2018 in Jamestown, New York, the museum complex offers an unprecedented, immersive visitor experience using state-of-the-art technology, interactivity, and personalization.

USA Today named the National Comedy Center the “Best New Museum in the Country,” TIME magazine named it one of its “World’s Greatest Places,” and U.S. News & World Report selected it as one of the “25 Top Family Weekend Getaways in the U.S.,” while Condé Nast Traveler called the National Comedy Center “one of the best museums in the country,” and People magazine named it one of “100 Reasons to Love America.”

The National Comedy Center has been featured in The New York Times, on CBS Saturday Morning, CBS Sunday Morning and on NBC’s TODAY Show, which called it “the Smithsonian of Comedy.” Visitors from all 50 states and 27 countries have given the Center a rare 5/5 rating on TripAdvisor, ranking among the highest in the attraction and tourism industry.

Based on the vision of Jamestown native Lucille Ball for her hometown to become a destination for comedy, the non-profit National Comedy Center’s mission is to provide education on the comedic arts in the form of commentary and contextualization of its bodies of work across all eras and genres of the art form.

The National Comedy Center operates the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, which explores the lives, careers, and legacy of the “First Couple of Comedy” and the incredible impact they had on the world, as well as the pioneering role and remarkable influence that I Love Lucy and Desilu Studios had on the entertainment industry for generations to come.

The annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, produced and presented by the National Comedy Center, has showcased comedy’s greatest stars and rising comedians, including Jerry Seinfeld, Trevor Noah, Nate Bargatze, Lily Tomlin, John Mulaney, Taylor Tomlinson, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Jeff Foxworthy, Nicole Byer, Jay Leno, Margaret Cho, Amy Schumer, Sebastian Maniscalco, W. Kamau Bell, David Spade, Jim Gaffigan, Paula Poundstone, Joan Rivers, Kevin Nealon, The Smothers Brothers, and more than 300 comedic artists.

The National Comedy Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural institution whose mission is funded by philanthropic support. Donations and grants support the museum and its work to present the vital story of comedy and preserve its heritage for future generations.

www.ComedyCenter.org

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