The National Association of Broadcasters has named comedian Nate Bargatze as the recipient of the 2026 NAB Television Chairman’s Award. The honor will be presented during the NAB Show in Las Vegas on April 21. Bargatze will also take part in a fireside chat and Q&A at the event.
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) announced on February 14, 2026, that Nate Bargatze will receive the 2026 NAB Television Chairman’s Award. This prestigious honor, first presented in 2009 to Kelsey Grammer, recognizes contributions to broadcast television. Previous recipients include Penn & Teller, Jennifer Hudson, Sterling K. Brown, Jim Parsons, and Mario Lopez.
The award ceremony is scheduled for April 21, 2026, at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, as part of the Annual “We Are Broadcasters” event on the Main Stage. Bargatze, known as “The Nicest Man in Stand-Up” by The Atlantic, has achieved significant milestones in comedy. He has broken multiple venue records, hosted the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on CBS in 2025—the highest-rated Emmys broadcast in four years—and hosted two episodes of Saturday Night Live, featuring sketches viewed more than 42 million times on YouTube combined.
Bargatze’s 2025 tour, “Big Dumb Eyes,” topped Pollstar’s rankings with $77.5 million in gross, surpassing performers like Kevin Hart and Jerry Seinfeld. In 2024, he set a record with $82.2 million in one-year earnings, according to Billboard. His book, “Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind,” reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list and stayed there for 11 weeks. He recently won a Grammy for his Netflix special and comedy album “Your Friend, Nate Bargatze.”
Nick Radziul, NAB Television Board Chair, praised Bargatze: “Nate Bargatze has become one of the most important figures in American entertainment by making comedy that resonates across generations and platforms.” NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt added: “Nate Bargatze’s rise underscores the continued ability of broadcast television to build a sense of community and reach large audiences at a time when viewing habits are rapidly changing.”
In 2023, Bargatze launched Nateland Entertainment, focusing on family-friendly content across standup, podcasts, film, and television. He is developing an amusement park and entertainment complex in Nashville, Tennessee. Upcoming projects include his feature film debut in “The Breadwinner,” set for theaters on May 29, and the comedy game show “The Greatest Average American,” premiering February 25 on ABC and Hulu, where he serves as host and executive producer. Bargatze’s style features deadpan, self-deprecating, observational humor that is clean and apolitical.
