Who Is Nate Bargatze’s Wife? Meet Laura Bargatze

The comedian first met his wife while working at an Applebee’s in Tennessee

Nate Bargatze, the comedian known for his Netflix specials and stand-up success, has been married to Laura Bargatze since 2006. Their relationship began long before his fame, during their time working together at an Applebee’s in Tennessee.

During the early days of their relationship, Nate was just starting his comedy career. He attended comedy college in Chicago, handed out flyers as a “barker” in New York City, and eventually moved to Los Angeles to hone his craft. Despite the challenges, Laura stood by him through it all.

Nate’s hard work paid off with notable achievements in his career. He appeared in Netflix specials like “The Tennessee Kid” (2019) and “The Greatest Average American” (2021), the latter earning him a Grammy nomination in 2022. In 2023, he released another special, “Hello World,” on Prime Video, and he even got to host Saturday Night Live, which he described as “beyond a dream come true” on Instagram.

Laura has been a constant support throughout Nate’s journey, alongside their daughter, Harper. In 2020, on “The Nateland Podcast,” Laura expressed her unwavering belief in Nate’s success, saying, “I never had any doubt that our life would work out, whether he chose not to do comedy or found a job or some other career path.”

Laura has been a significant part of Nate’s life and career, supporting him from their humble beginnings to his current fame. Their strong partnership and shared journey highlight the importance of having a supportive partner in pursuing one’s dreams.

So, who is Laura Bargatze? She’s not just Nate Bargatze’s wife but a key figure in his life story, contributing to the comedian’s success and standing by him every step of the way.

Laura and Nate met while working at Applebee’s

Though Nate has been a comedian for over 20 years, his relationship with Laura had more humble beginnings: The two met in their early 20s while working together at an Applebee’s restaurant in Tennessee. Nate was a host, while Laura was a server — roles he would later joke about in The Greatest Average American.

Nate recalled in his stand-up special, “Someone recently asked Laura if she ever imagined their lives would turn out like this when they started dating.”

Nate continued, “She said, ‘When I met him, he was a host and I didn’t think he was smart enough to be a server. So, yeah — we’ve got a little bit farther than I expected.’ ”

Still, he impressed her in a memorable way. Speaking on The Nateland Podcast, Laura said he caught her eye one night when they went out with fellow Applebee’s employees after work, and he silenced everyone for a specific reason.

“He put in The Little Mermaid soundtrack and told his friends to, like, ‘Shush, shush, I’m listening to this song,’ ” she said. “I was like, if anyone could put in The Little Mermaid soundtrack and shush a bunch of 20 year olds … to be quiet while he sings it. I thought that was totally confident.”

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She supported Nate’s comedy dreams

Nate moved from working at Applebee’s to a stable job as a meter reader for a water company, according to Variety. He and Laura were still dating, and it seemed like a secure career path. Nate mentioned, “I had great benefits. I wasn’t the best at school, so this was a solid job you can have for the rest of your life.”

However, Nate had bigger dreams. In high school, he envisioned performing at Zanie’s, a famous Chicago comedy club. When he and a friend found out about a comedy college in Chicago, Nate decided to leave his county job to pursue stand-up, with Laura’s full support.

On The Nateland Podcast, Laura recalled, “He said, ‘I have to tell you something,’ and my mind is racing. He’s like, ‘I want to be a stand-up comedian.’ And I was like, okay, alright … do that! I had a good feeling about it.”

Nate credits Laura’s support as crucial to his success. He emphasized on the podcast, “If you have a boyfriend or girlfriend that is going to be in the way, then you gotta choose. This is a thing that’s a commitment. You’ve got to make sacrifices to hopefully live a life that nobody gets to live.”

Laura and Nate have been married since 2006

Nate proposed to Laura in 2005 while he was pursuing comedy in N.Y.C., and she was living and working in Tennessee. During a visit, he popped the question to her on a carriage ride through Central Park, they revealed on The Nateland Podcast.

“I was completely shocked,” she said.

They tied the knot on Oct. 13, 2006 — and their wedding day fell on Friday the 13th, which Nate would later joke about in The Tennessee Kid.

“We got married on Friday the 13th. Got a pretty sweet deal on that,” he quipped. “They were wide open. We were like, ‘What times are available?’ They go, ‘Every one of ‘em. All 24. You can call us that day if you want.’ ”

In addition to their wedding date, Nate spoke more about their nuptials, revealing how his mom and Laura planned the wedding — and that “they’re both cheap.” One area where it was particularly obvious that they cut corners was the DJ, who Nate’s mother hired.

“Our DJ was awful,” Nate said. “He got super drunk [and] played the same song three times in a row.”

Outside of his stand-up material, though, Nate commemorates his and Laura’s union on social media with touching sentiments. When the couple celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary in October, he wrote a loving message on Instagram to his wife of nearly two decades.

“Friday the 13th turned out to be great,” Nate wrote with a picture of the couple and their daughter, Harper. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you. I love you, Laura. Happy Anniversary!”