Tennessee native Nate Bargatze has officially made comedy history, earning a Guinness World Records title after selling more than 2 million tickets on his Big Dumb Eyes World Tour.
Bargatze was recognized onstage Sunday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto for setting the record for the most tickets sold for a stand-up comedy tour.
The Grammy Award-winning comedian crossed 2,045,040 tickets sold on Aug. 16, according to an announcement from his representatives.
The Big Dumb Eyes World Tour spanned 129 venues between April 6, 2025, and Aug. 16, 2026, covering 16 months and 10 days.
Guinness World Records measured the record using the total number of tickets sold, or paid attendance, over the duration of the tour.
The previous record belonged to comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, who sold 1,981,720 tickets across 386 venues over 35 months and eight days.
The achievement adds another milestone to a run that has included several records in Bargatze’s home state.
The Old Hickory native became the only comedian to sell out three consecutive performances at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena in a single calendar year, according to his representatives.
The announcement said Taylor Swift and Garth Brooks are the only other performers to accomplish that feat at the arena.
Bargatze’s team said the Big Dumb Eyes World Tour broke records at 84 venues. He also set the all-time comedy attendance record at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
The Guinness World Records title follows other major touring milestones for Bargatze. Pollstar has ranked him as the world’s top-earning comedian, while Billboard previously reported that he set a record for the highest one-year gross by a comedy performer.
Bargatze has built his career around clean, observational comedy and has expanded beyond stand-up in recent years.
He won a Grammy for his Netflix special “Your Friend, Nate Bargatze,” which premiered in December 2024. His previous specials include “The Tennessee Kid,” “The Greatest Average American” and “Nate Bargatze: Hello World.”
Bargatze has also hosted “Saturday Night Live” twice and hosted the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.
His first book, “Big Dumb Eyes: Stories From A Simpler Mind,” was released in 2025 and became a New York Times bestseller.
Bargatze has also moved into film and television. He stars in the family comedy “The Breadwinner,” which was released theatrically in May, and hosts the ABC and Hulu comedy game show “The Greatest Average American.”
The comedian founded Nateland Entertainment, a Nashville-based entertainment company focused on family-friendly content, including stand-up specials, podcasts, sketches and scripted projects.
With more than 2.04 million tickets sold on the Big Dumb Eyes World Tour, Bargatze now holds the Guinness World Records title for the most tickets sold for a stand-up comedy tour.
