The Magic Show

Nate Bargatze's father, Stephen Bargatze, is a professional magician and former clown. This is a real fact about a real person. Nate has spent his entire career mining it for comedy.

"My dad's a magician. Which sounds cool until you realize it means we were poor. Nobody's getting rich doing magic. If you're getting rich doing magic, you're doing something else."

The magic show material appears across multiple specials and forms one of the central threads of Bargatze's comedy. His father performed at birthday parties, corporate events, and any venue that would have him. Young Nate was often drafted as an assistant, standing on stage in a small Tennessee town while his father attempted to saw a woman in half.

"I was the magician's son. Do you know how that plays in Tennessee? Not great. Kids don't respect the magician's son. They respect the quarterback's son."

The material works because Bargatze treats his unusual upbringing with the same bemused acceptance he brings to everything. He doesn't make his father the butt of the joke—he makes the situation the joke. A man chose magic as a career. He raised a family on magic income. He performed for audiences who didn't always want to see magic. And through it all, he kept pulling rabbits out of hats with complete sincerity.

"My dad still does magic. He's in his sixties, still doing the same tricks. I asked him if he ever updates the act. He said, 'The classics are classics for a reason, Nate.' That's what a man says when he only knows five tricks."

The father-son dynamic is the warmest element of Bargatze's comedy. He clearly loves and respects his father while also finding the entire situation hilarious. It's affection without sentimentality—the comedy of a man who grew up weird and turned out fine, mostly.