Nate Bargatze is stepping away from “The Nateland Podcast,” telling listeners in a special message that after roughly five years and nearly 300 episodes, it’s time to focus on what he called his next act — movies, television and even a theme park.
“Everything I’m trying to do going forward is, I want you to be able to do it with your family,” he said.
Bargatze announced the shift with gratitude, thanking fans who listened on long drives, praising the podcast crew, and emphasizing that he’s still around for upcoming episodes while the show heads toward a live finale event planned for January.
The show isn’t disappearing — it’s changing
Bargatze also signaled that co-hosts Brian Bates, Aaron Weber and Dusty Slay will continue on in their own podcast format.
Some fans immediately worried the transition would mean a new feed, a new name and a rebuild from scratch. But on the Nateland subreddit, an account identifying as Bargatze’s sister said listeners won’t need to re-subscribe — describing it as a rebrand with the same feed and stressing it wasn’t an act of “meanness.”
She added, “the guys are excited to have their own.”
The highest-grossing comedian
On Thursday, Billboard.com released a list of the highest grossing comedy shows of 2025, with Bargatze holding the top spot.
In his “Big Dumb Eyes World Tour,” Bargatze sold 677,000 tickets for over 76 shows, grossing $56.7 million.
Utah just saw the Bargatze boom up close
Bargatze’s move away from the podcast comes as his touring demand keeps spiking, including in Utah.
He brought his “Big Dumb Eyes” tour to Salt Lake City’s Delta Center with a Dec. 6 showtime — which sold out rapidly. Then a second, third and fourth show were added, each selling out.
With a seat capacity of about 20,000, nearly 80,000 Utahns saw him live at the Delta Center. That’s over 2% of the state’s population showing up to see the comic known for being clean.
Why he’s stepping back: Movies and prime-time TV
Bargatze’s “next act” isn’t vague.
A new trailer was released Friday for “The Breadwinner,” his feature film debut, a family comedy in which Bargatze plays an overwhelmed stay-at-home dad opposite Mandy Moore. The film hits theaters March 13, 2026.
He’s also moving further into TV hosting. ABC announced he will host a new game show, “The Greatest Average American,” premiering Feb. 25, 2026, with next-day streaming on Hulu.
The concept leans into Bargatze’s persona — celebrating the glory of being “perfectly average” — and ABC says the grand prize is the average American salary: $67,920.
He’s also pushing forward on a Nateland theme park in Nashville, Tennessee. Variety reported in November that Bargatze’s Nateland Entertainment partnered with Storyland Studios to explore sites and develop the project.
He pointed this change toward creating “safe” environments where people can get away from the “chaos” of the world.
“I want to create moments for you guys and your families. And I want to continue to gain your trust because you don’t owe this to me,” he said, adding: “You can trust me and know that I’m building stuff with you in mind.”