The highest-grossing comedian in the United States is facing criticism on social media after attending UFC Freedom 250, a White House-hosted mixed martial arts event held Sunday in honor of America’s 250th birthday and President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
The controversy started after Nate Bargatze, known for his largely apolitical and family-friendly stand-up routines, appeared in an Instagram Story posted by actress Cheryl Hines. The image showed Hines and her husband, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, posing with Bargatze inside the White House. Vice President JD Vance was seen in the background.
Additional photos shared online showed the Nashville-based Bargatze alongside Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, podcast host Joe Rogan, country singer Luke Bryan and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.
While the “Breadwinner” star, who has 3 million Instagram followers, did not publicly promote his attendance at the event, images from the gathering prompted reactions online. Some criticized Bargatze for appearing at the White House event, and a number of commenters flooded his social media with messages saying they no longer planned to support his work. However, other commenters jumped to Bargatze’s defense.
A source close to Bargatze told The Daily Beast that the comedy star attended Trump’s 80th birthday event because UFC is his “favorite sport,” making his appearance “not political.”
Bargatze reportedly brought in $56.7M in ticket sales in 2025 with his Big Dumb Eyes World Tour, according to Billboard, solidifying him as the highest-grossing comedian in the country.
This year, he won a Grammy for best comedy album for “Your Friend, Nate Bargatze,” after previously selling out arenas, hosting “Saturday Night Live” twice and becoming one of Netflix’s most successful stand-up stars.
Bargatze told The Washington Post that he doesn’t discuss politics in his act because, he said, “I don’t think it’s what people are coming to me for,” but said, “I actually enjoy politics. I don’t talk about them, but I enjoy them.”
In May, Bargatze told The Christian Post his clean-cut comedy career can largely be traced back to growing up in a Christian household.
“Growing up here in Nashville, in a Christian family, my parents would have killed me,” the 47-year-old comedian, who previously shared he sees his career as a “calling” from God, told CP of why he sticks to family-friendly comedy at the Nashville premiere of his debut feature film, “The Breadwinner.”
“I wasn’t allowed to watch a lot of stuff, and so that was a big inspiration for even making this movie. … 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. 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.”
