Comedian Nate Bargatze says his upcoming debut film, “The Breadwinner,” was shaped by his religious upbringing and the lingering fear of disappointing his strict parents.
Known for his clean comedy, Bargatze said that growing up in a Christian household, he “wasn’t allowed to watch a lot of stuff, and so that was a big inspiration for even making this movie,” per The Christian Post.
“At 12 years old, we would have been very excited to go see this movie. I think a lot back on that, and that’s been with the comedy too,” he continued. “I wanted everybody to be able to come to it and not feel like they’re getting in trouble. I don’t want to get in trouble either. My parents would have been mad.”
“The Breadwinner,” set for release on May 29, stars Bargatze as a successful car salesman thrust into life as a stay-at-home dad after his wife, played by Mandy Moore, leaves on a monthlong business trip that could transform her career.
Caring for their three young daughters with little experience running a household, he quickly learns that family life is more demanding than he expected.
“At the beginning she’s a stay-at-home mom (Mandy Moore) and I really wanted to show that she loved that ... and then for it to flip was just a fun way to (tell the story),” Bargatze said of the family comedy.
He continued, “It’s not just a movie about being a dumb dad, it’s just a dad figuring it out and he eventually gets the dad era ... and it just brings the family closer.”
By 2025, Bargatze had become one of comedy’s most commercially successful acts, with his tours grossing $77.5 million and ticket sales nearly 50% higher than those of Sebastian Maniscalco, the country’s second-highest-selling comedian.
In 2024, he staged the year’s highest-grossing comedy show, outperforming comedy juggernauts like Jerry Seinfeld and Adam Sandler, per Billboard. He has since hosted “Saturday Night Live” twice and led the Emmy Awards ceremony in 2025.
“When I started in comedy, some comics would be like, ‘Well, I’m not for everybody,’ and I’d be like, ‘Why would you not want to be for everybody?’” Bargatze told The New York Times in a 2025 interview.
“Most of the comics I was around were the complete opposite of everything I did,” he added. “I didn’t want you to notice that I was clean. ... You learn how to hide it, because if you walked up and said, ‘I’m clean,’ it‘s going to be like, ‘This guy’s not cool.’”
Creating clean comedy is “very, very hard” work, Bargatze says, but he is motivated by “a bigger purpose.”
“I am second to God. Second to your family, second to the audience, second to everybody,” he told the Times. “You live to serve, so it‘s very much a calling in that aspect.”
The Nate Rate
In an effort to make “The Breadwinner” more affordable for all audiences, Bargatze introduced the Nate Rate, a discounted movie ticket program.
“Hello, everybody! My movie ‘The Breadwinner’ is coming out May 29 and I’ve got something very exciting that I wanted to let you know,” Bargatze said in an Instagram post.
“So the Nate Rate is a special kind of lower ticket price because we want everyone to come out to this movie. This movie is for your grandparents, grandkids, aunts, uncles, friends, sister… anybody. Your dog. Cats I think will love this movie, specifically. Anybody that wants to come out.”
Film studios don’t control ticket prices, so the Nate Rate varies by location and theater chain. Major chains like AMC and Cinemark are running the promotion — check your local listings for the exact discount.
Nate Bargatze and religion
In multiple interviews, Bargatze has spoken about how his Christian upbringing has shaped his approach to comedy.
“I come from a Christian family and Southern Christian, so I wasn’t allowed to watch anything,” he told Fox News in 2023. “And so growing up and only watching clean comedians, it was just how I was going to be. And it would feel forced if I was not.”
During a 2023 conversation with comedian Joe Zimmerman on his “Nateland” podcast, Bargatze said, “My parents grew up Catholic, but I was raised Baptist.”
Even during busy tours, Bargatze still makes time for religious worship.
“I’m on the road so much, but when I’m here, I go (to church) as much as I can,” he told Esquire.
“It’s a good thing to be around,” Bargatze said. “I think it makes you feel grounded.”