Nate Bargatze Wife: Who Is Laura Bargatze? Their Marriage, Daughter and Love Story

Nate Bargatze’s wife is Laura Bargatze, formerly Laura McGhee, the woman who has been beside him since long before sold-out arenas, Netflix specials and major award-show appearances became part of his life. Their relationship started in one of the most ordinary places imaginable, an Applebee’s restaurant in Tennessee, where Nate worked as a host and Laura worked as a server.

The couple married on October 13, 2006, fittingly on a Friday the 13th, a detail Nate has later turned into comedy material. They share one daughter, Harper Blair Bargatze, born on July 8, 2012.

Laura has also built an important professional role in Nate’s career. After years working in marketing and corporate event planning, she eventually joined his business operation. She now works as a talent manager with Bargatze Enterprises and serves as an executive producer on The Nateland Podcast.

Who Is Nate Bargatze’s Wife Laura Bargatze?

Laura Bargatze is the longtime wife and business partner of stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze.

Unlike her husband, Laura does not spend most of her life onstage. She has built a career behind the scenes, first through marketing and corporate event planning and later through Nate’s growing entertainment business.

Laura graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 2005 with a degree in business administration.

Her professional background is important because she did not simply step into Nate’s career once he became successful.

She had her own work, schedule and professional identity throughout the difficult early years when Nate was still trying to establish himself as a comedian.

That independence appears to be one of the strengths of their relationship.

Laura has spoken about supporting Nate without giving up her own ambitions, something that became especially useful when his comedy career required moves across the country.

Nate and Laura Met While Working at Applebee’s

The beginning of Nate and Laura’s relationship feels almost perfectly suited to one of his comedy routines.

They met while both were working at an Applebee’s restaurant in Tennessee.

Nate was a host.

Laura was a server.

At the time, neither of them could have known that Nate would eventually become one of the biggest touring comedians in America.

Laura has even joked about her first impression of him.

Nate later recalled her saying that when they met, she did not even think he was smart enough to be a server.

The joke works because their lives eventually went much further than either could have predicted.

One moment in particular apparently made Laura notice him.

A group of Applebee’s employees had gone out together after work, and Nate put on music from The Little Mermaid.

Instead of pretending he was too cool for it, he told everyone to be quiet because he wanted to listen to the song.

Laura found the confidence funny and attractive.

It was a small moment, but it helped start a relationship that would eventually span decades.

Laura Supported Nate When He Chose Comedy

Before becoming a full-time comedian, Nate had a steady job reading water meters.

The job came with benefits and could have provided him with a secure career.

Still, comedy had always been in the back of his mind.

As a high school student, Nate had written that one of his goals was to perform at Zanies, a famous Chicago comedy club.

Eventually, he discovered a comedy training program in Chicago and decided to take the risk.

He told Laura that he wanted to leave his stable job and pursue stand-up.

Her reaction was simple.

She supported him.

Laura later said she had a good feeling about the decision, even though there was no guarantee it would work.

That support became especially important because Nate’s early comedy years were far from glamorous.

He moved to Chicago, then New York and later Los Angeles while trying to improve his act.

There were no arena tours or streaming specials at that point.

There were cheap jobs, small clubs and plenty of uncertainty.

Nate Proposed in Central Park

By 2005, Nate was pursuing comedy in New York City while Laura was still working in Tennessee.

During one of her visits to New York, he proposed.

The engagement happened during a horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park.

Laura later said the proposal completely surprised her.

The couple married the following year on October 13, 2006.

That date happened to fall on Friday the 13th.

Nate later joked that choosing the supposedly unlucky date made finding a wedding time considerably easier because so few other couples wanted it.

The wedding has become part of his comedy, but his public comments about Laura outside stand-up have generally been much more affectionate.

On anniversaries, Nate has repeatedly credited his wife with helping him build the life and career he has today.

Laura Built Her Own Career in Marketing

Laura’s career developed separately while Nate was trying to break into comedy.

After graduating from college, she worked as a marketing coordinator for Applebee’s.

When she later moved to New York with Nate, she continued working in marketing before discovering an interest in corporate event planning.

The profession turned out to fit their unusual schedule.

Event planning could involve travel, long hours and late nights.

Nate’s comedy work also meant unpredictable evenings.

Instead of Laura waiting at home for him to return from clubs, she had a demanding career of her own.

She eventually spent nearly a decade working in corporate event planning.

That experience gave her skills that later became valuable when Nate’s entertainment business began expanding.

Managing schedules, organizing events, working with different personalities and handling logistics are all important parts of the comedy business too.

Laura Now Works With Nate Professionally

In 2019, Nate and Laura began working together more formally.

Laura became part of Bargatze Enterprises, where she has worked as a talent manager.

She also became an executive producer on The Nateland Podcast.

That collaboration marked a major change in their relationship.

For years, Laura had supported Nate’s career from outside the comedy business.

Now she was directly involved in helping manage it.

The arrangement appears to work partly because Laura already understands both Nate and the realities of his career.

She was there when he was handing out flyers for comedy clubs.

She was there before television appearances and arena tours.

That history gives her a perspective that a normal business manager might not have.

She knows the professional version of Nate Bargatze, but she also knows the person who once worked as an Applebee’s host and water-meter reader.

Nate and Laura Have One Daughter

Nate and Laura welcomed their daughter, Harper Blair Bargatze, on July 8, 2012.

Harper has become a familiar name to fans of Nate’s comedy.

He regularly talks about fatherhood and family life in his routines, often turning ordinary parenting situations into jokes.

Harper has also appeared in her father’s professional world.

She has introduced Nate at the beginning of several of his comedy specials.

Her introduction is simple and memorable, welcoming “my daddy, Nate Bargatze.”

It adds a personal element to performances that are already heavily influenced by his family.

Nate has also joked about parenting struggles, including school homework, transportation and the everyday confusion that comes with raising a child.

Harper appears comfortable being part of the joke too.

In one lighthearted conversation with her father, she confidently told Nate that she believed she was funnier than him.

Family Has Become More Important as Nate’s Career Grew

Nate’s career eventually reached a level that neither he nor Laura could have expected during their Applebee’s years.

His clean comedy style became increasingly popular.

He released successful stand-up specials, toured large venues and built a reputation as a comedian who could make audiences laugh without relying heavily on profanity or controversial material.

Success, however, brought new challenges.

More travel meant more time away from home.

Larger business responsibilities meant more decisions.

Public attention meant family life became more visible.

Nate has acknowledged that major career changes also affect Laura and Harper.

The couple has worked to make sure professional success does not become more important than their relationship.

That effort includes openly discussing the pressures that come with an expanding entertainment career.

Their marriage has lasted because it began long before any of the success.

Nate Often Makes Laura Part of His Comedy

Marriage is one of Nate Bargatze’s favorite sources of material.

Laura appears frequently in his routines, although usually through harmless observations about everyday married life.

He has joked about arguments, household responsibilities and communication problems that will feel familiar to many couples.

Laura does not seem bothered by it.

She has joked that his comedy pays the bills, and she understands that playful teasing is part of Nate’s style.

That works especially well because his humor rarely feels cruel.

Most of his marriage jokes make Nate himself look confused or incompetent rather than portraying Laura negatively.

Their real-life relationship therefore becomes useful comedy without needing to become mean-spirited.

They Eventually Returned Home to Tennessee

Nate and Laura’s career journey took them around the United States.

They spent time in New York while Nate worked his way through comedy clubs.

He took daytime jobs while performing at night, including driving and handing out flyers in exchange for stage time.

Life in New York was financially difficult.

Laura later admitted that the city was far less enjoyable when they had little money to spend.

The couple eventually moved to Los Angeles in 2012.

Two years later, however, they quietly returned to Tennessee.

For Nate, returning home made practical sense.

He was already touring constantly, so living in Los Angeles no longer felt necessary.

His family remained in Tennessee, while Laura’s family in Alabama was also relatively close.

They eventually settled outside Nashville.

The move gave them a more grounded home base even as Nate’s career became increasingly national.

Laura Has Been There Through Every Stage of Nate’s Rise

Laura Bargatze’s story is closely tied to Nate’s career, but she has never simply existed in the background.

She supported him when comedy was still an uncertain idea.

She built her own corporate career while he struggled through clubs.

She moved with him across the country.

She became a mother.

Then, as Nate’s business grew large enough to require a bigger team, she brought her professional skills directly into the operation.

Today, the couple’s relationship looks very different from the one that began inside an Applebee’s restaurant.

Nate is now a major touring comedian.

Laura helps manage the business surrounding that success.

Their daughter has become part of the comedy story too.

Still, the basic foundation appears to be the same.

For anyone searching for Nate Bargatze’s wife, Laura Bargatze is more than simply the woman married to a famous comedian.

She has been his partner since before the career existed, supported the risks that allowed him to pursue stand-up and eventually became an important professional part of the business they built together.

Nearly two decades after their 2006 wedding, their relationship remains one of the most consistent parts of Nate Bargatze’s story.