This weekend, comedian Nate Bargatze is about to earn a career milestone when he stars in his first feature film ever with The Breadwinner. But his aspirations stretch way beyond making waves on the 2026 movie calendar because he’s also serious about opening his own theme park called Nateland. As his ambitions have become more widely known to the public recently, the internet has all sorts of reactions to the potential business venture.
A Lot Of People Are Confused About Nate Bargatze’s Nateland
Nate Bargatze has become a huge name in the comedy space in recent years, between his quotable standup shows, hosting SNL two times in a matter of two years, hosting the Emmys last year and now leading his own family-friendly comedy, The Breadwinner. Next up, the Wall Street Journal reports the 47-year-old is working on a $350-million theme park called Nateland, which will stretch across 100 acres in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.
Much like his “clean” comedy act, he’s hoping to appeal to families in a city that famously caters to the 21 and up crowd, especially at night. Bargatze is also inspired by his first job at Opryland USA, a theme park that closed back in 1997. The “still-evolving design” is divided into three sections, all based on his life, with one based on Tennessee and another on New York. Check out what commenters on Instagram have to say about the possible theme park:
- “But like….why?” - @justinemarquez
- “Tennessee has a Walt Disney & it’s Dolly Parton” - @blazer.levi
- “I was ok with it until he named it after himself…sry no.” - @drink_jadeorade
- “Plays roller coaster tycoon once…” @jennifersterger
- “Takes some real narcissism to build 'your-own-name-land' chronicling your life” - @chrisramirez4
- “Does anyone besides Nate actually want this?” - @captkathleen
So… there are a lot of commenters who don’t get the vision. And hey, it’s pretty out there. I don’t think we’ve ever seen a comedian attempt something like this. However, as the article explained, Bargatze has become such a popular comedian that he might sell more tickets for his latest Big Dumb Eyes tour than Beyoncé did for her most recent tour.
He’s Got Some Support Though
The comment section wasn’t all negative or confused reactions, though. There’s plenty of excitement as well. Take a look:
- “I bet it's going to be rad. Good for him.” - @titaniajordan
- “Yes can’t wait! Nashville needs more family friendly things to do!” - @megssbradley
- “Yesss bring back Opryland. 👏” - @cecilia_ryan
- “Honestly we need more of this energy from our celebrities” - @kjanet
- “1000% support this and know he’ll pull it off! 🎉” - @thejessicavara
Nateland is still in its early planning days, but Nate Bargatze and his business partners have already contracted with Storyland Studios, which is a California firm founded by past Disney, Universal Studios and Legoland creatives to help design the park. They have also reportedly picked the site for Nateland in Nashville’s metro area, but the location isn’t yet public. This summer, Bargatze and his team will be deep in the process of securing funds for the project.
You can see Nate Bargatze in The Breadwinner starting this Friday, May 29. If you’re buying tickets, look out for the comedian’s “Nate Rate” reduced price tickets.
