Nate Bergatze and other “nice” white men are the target of ire in comedian W. Kamau Bell’s latest Substack essay, “It’s So Easy Not to Do This.” Bell criticized Bargatze, who attended the UFC Freedom 250 bout at President Donald Trump’s White House earlier this month. Mr. Bargatze, one of the country’s best-selling comedians, has faced backlash and accusations of being a MAGA after attending an event and posing for photos with Mr. Trump’s allies.
“These days, some people who want us to think of themselves as ‘good people’ and ‘good people’ are acting ‘surprised’ when the public is surprised to see evidence that these ‘nice people’ and ‘good’ people are voluntarily associating with proud fascists,” Bell wrote, listing tips for such people starting with “Don’t be photographed with fascists.”
Captioning a photo of Bargatze with RFK Jr., Sheryl Hines, and others at a UFC event, Bell wrote, “Notorious nice guy comedian Nate Bargatze in cage fight at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House. If you’ve ever seen me in a photo with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., you’ll be convinced my family was being threatened.”
Bell’s other tips included: “The easiest way to avoid being photographed with fascists is to avoid going to places where fascists gather.” “If you’re going to go somewhere where there are fascists, you better have a good reason…like the John Brown/Inglourious Basterds good reason,” and “If you don’t have a good reason to hang out with fascists, congratulations! You’re now on Team Fascism.”
“No one cares how much you wanted to see the fight in the White House,” Bell continued. “The White House is now registered as a fascist stronghold… If you don’t want to be part of Team Fascism, it’s up to you to actively and immediately dig yourself out of the fascist hole after meeting with the fascists and begin your efforts to get back on the right side of history. Just to be clear, statements from your representatives, social media posts, or anything other than immediate action in the real world will not count.”
Bargazze has yet to speak publicly about his participation in the UFC Freedom 250 bout and the backlash that followed. His silence on this issue has also been questioned by various media outlets. A source close to Bargazze stressed that the comedian attended the event because UFC is his “favorite sport,” meaning his attendance was “not political.”
