Nate Bargatze Makes SNL Hosting Debut with Cameos from Christopher Walken and Padma Lakshmi: Watch

Nate Bargatze made his Saturday Night Live debut!

The stand-up comedian, 44, hosted the third episode of the comedy sketch show’s 49th season for the first time ever over the weekend, when he was joined by Foo Fighters as the musical guest.

During the Tennessee native’s opening monologue, he recalled seeing his magician father perform at county fairs in the 1980s, when a donkey would jump off a high dive — an act that ultimately got shut down by PETA.

"I use the word jump very loosely. These donkeys are falling off the high dive, but you can't put that on the sign," Bargatze joked. "Want to watch a donkey fall off a high dive? What if he jumped? Well, at least he's into it."

The Grammy-nominated performer then told audiences about the time his mother went to the wrong home to pick up his daughter and talked to the owner of the other house for half an hour. "I had to go get my daughter and then find my mom," Bargatze said.

The star later participated in various sketches during the show, including one where he played George Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in 1774.

Another moment from the evening saw the actor ironically win the soul food challenge of a televised cooking competition against Ego Nwodim's chef. Padma Lakshmi appeared as herself to award Bargatze's character with his prizes.

The Foo Fighters, a 6-member rock band made up of members Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear, Rami Jaffee and Josh Freese, later performed during the show.

The group first sang "Rescued" after Christopher Walken — who first appeared during the cold open as the spirit of Halloween — introduced them. They later returned to the stage again to perform "The Glass" alongside H.E.R. 

Grohl, 54, also made a cameo in one of the sketches, where a pregnant woman went into labor on a plane. Though he seemed to be a doctor available to save the day at the last minute, it turned out the scrubs and stethoscope he was wearing were just a part of his Halloween costume.

In this week's Weekend Update, Colin Jost and Michael Che poked fun at Mike Johnson being elected as the Speaker of the House, and also joked about Michael Cohen testifying against former President Donald Trump in court.

Jost, 41, also acknowledged that Mike Pence had ended his 2024 presidential campaign, stating, "He made the decision after he consulted with God and God said, 'Dude, you're embarrassing both of us.' "

In the first promo for his hosting gig, Bargatze — who is performing on his “The Be Funny Tour” from now through June 2024 — joined SNL cast members Devon Walker and Andrew Dismukes to discuss how much the comedian, known for his family-friendly humor, is too much of a “nice guy.” 

Then, when cast member Chloe Troast handed the actor a coffee cup, he slammed it to the ground and proceeded to vandalize Studio 8H in an attempt to “drop” the act. At the end, he was congratulated for his “very good” performance. 

Bargatze's hosting debut followed that of Bad Bunny, who pulled double-duty as host and musical guest the previous week. Before that, Pete Davison hosted the 49th season’s premiere alongside Ice Spice as the musical guest. 

Saturday Night Live continues on Nov. 11 with Timothée Chalamet as host and Boygenius as musical guest.