SNL Monologue - Gorilla Glue

In October 2023, Nate Bargatze hosted Saturday Night Live. For many viewers, it was their first exposure to him. For comedy fans, it was a coronation.

His monologue was a masterclass in Bargatze's style: slow, clean, conversational, and devastating. He talked about his daughter's school, about the weirdness of being on live television, about the fact that his comedy is clean in an era that doesn't quite know what to do with that.

"I don't curse in my act. Which is fine. But it's weird explaining it to people. They ask why and I don't have a good answer. It's not religious. It's not a moral thing. I just... don't. It's like asking someone why they don't eat olives. I don't know. I just don't like olives."

The Gorilla Glue bit—about his father accidentally gluing things together with industrial adhesive—became the moment that went viral. Bargatze told it with such patient, meandering precision that the audience was helpless.

"My dad used Gorilla Glue to fix something in the house. Gorilla Glue is not for fixing things. Gorilla Glue is for when you've given up on doing things correctly."

The SNL appearance cemented Bargatze's crossover from comedy-world famous to actually famous. The monologue was shared millions of times. People who'd never been to a comedy club were suddenly buying tickets to his arena tour.

What made the monologue work was its simplicity. No political commentary. No cultural hot takes. Just a guy from Tennessee talking about his dad and glue. In a show built on topical sketches and celebrity impressions, Bargatze's monologue felt like a glass of water in a room full of cocktails. And the audience was thirsty.