Comedian Nate Bargatze’s success has come due to his “normie” non-political everyman persona as a middle-aged dad just trying to figure things out. Yet some fans are now threatening to boycott him after he was seen attending the UFC Freedom 250 event that was held on the White House South lawn over President Trump’s birthday. Images of Bargatze with Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy, Jr. and his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, circulated across social media, along with the comedian posing with UFC announcer and podcast commentator Joe Rogan and the Republican governor of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

The images earned Bargatze accusations of “going MAGA.” One user on X referred to Bargatze as “MAGANate Bargatze” and stated Bargatze “thinks fascism is funny.” “Hate to learn who the real @natebargatze is. I was a fan,” wrote another account. “Nate Bargatze proving yet again when a dude says he’s not ‘political’ he means he’s MAGA but lying,” wrote a Threads user. Others, however, defended Bargatze. “Nate Bargatze is probably the most wholesome, family friendly, humble, and absolutely freaking hilarious comedian on the planet. I’ve seen him in small clubs and big arenas and he’s never mentioned politics and I never cared,” wrote a user. “It’s unbelievable that the vast majority of out-of-touch celebrities worship at the [altar] of liberalism and the media praise them day after day, but God forbid a comedian visit the White House.”

A representative for Bargatze spoke to The Huffington Post about his appearance at the show. “Nate is family friendly entertainment first. He is not political nor is anything he produces. He is also a huge UFC fan and has been since before it became political,” the representative said. The representative noted that Bargatze “doesn’t turn down photo requests” and has a picture with celebrities like Don Lemon, who is as far on the opposite side of the political aisle of Trump as they come. The representative insisted that Bargatze has “fans from both sides of the aisle.” In fact, not everyone Bargatze was pictured with are full-blown MAGA. Kennedy initially attempted to run as a Democrat to primary President Joe Biden for the 2024 election before running as an independent. After he suspended his campaign, he endorsed then-nominee Donald Trump for president. He has since joined forces with the President to promote his “Make America Health Again” movement (MAHA). Rogan, too, has primarily identified as an independent, but did endorse President Trump during the 2024 election and hosted him on his extremely popular podcast. Comedian Shane Gillis was also at the event, though to date he has received less pushback. Gillis has offered criticism of President Trump in the past and is best-known for his over-the-top Trump impersonation.

Whether or not Bargatze’s career will take a hit from the outrage is unclear at this time. Aside from his work as a successful family-friendly comedian, Bargatze is trying to break into movies with his first starring role in the film “Breadwinner.” He is also in the midst of a $350 million project to open up “Nateland,” a theme park on over 100 acres based in Tennessee. And while the park named after Bargatze, he has tried to keep the focus off him, telling People in an interview, “You should be second to God, second to your family, second to the community, the audience.”