Every year, The Nashville Comedy Festival brings together comedy fans from all over for their annual festival.
Today, they have just announced the first part of their lineup for 2023.
The first four comedians announced for next year are Nate Bargatze, Leanne Morgan, David Spade, and Fortune Feimster.
Bargatze will play the Bridgestone Arena, Morgan will play The Opry House, and Spade and Feimster will both play the Ryman Auditorium.
Nate Bargatze: Hailing from Old Hickory, Tennessee, stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze is selling out shows across the world on his Raincheck Tour. Bargatze’s comedy is both clean and relatable, evident in his ten appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He also appeared on Conan four times, was a recurring guest on @midnight, and had his own Comedy Central Presents in 2011.
Leanne Morgan: After 22 years in comedy, Leanne Morgan has cemented herself as a must-watch comedian. Touring across the nation, Morgan’s comedy has landed her at the prestigious Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and has brought her development deals for her own sitcom with ABC and Warner Brothers, writer/producer Matt Williams (Rosanne and Home Improvement), TV Land and now with Sony Television. The comedian has garnered over 1.5 million followers across social media and her popular stand-up special, So Yummy has reached over 50 million views on YouTube. Her fan base continues to grow with her relatability as she discusses everything from being a housewife, sharing Jell-O recipes to having a new grandbaby. She has appeared on ABC’s The View, NBC’s The Kelly Clarkson Show, Nick at Nite’s Funniest Mom and toured with the Southern Fried Chicks.
David Spade: Spade rose to popularity during his five-year stint on “SNL.” As a writer and a performer on the late NBC series for five years, he is best known as the “Hollywood Minute” reporter on “Weekend Update” and for catchphrases like “And you are…?” and “Buh-Bye!” Spade also co-starred with Chris Farley in the films “Tommy Boy,” and “Blacksheep.” The pair won a 1996 MTV Movie Award for “Best On-Screen Duo” in the former. In May 2022, Spade starred in the Netflix original comedy, “The Wrong Missy,” which was the eighth most watched Netflix original movie in the company’s history. Last year, Spade also hosted the late-night series “Lights Out with David Spade” on Comedy Central. The series followed “The Daily Show” and featured his signature take on pop culture news of the day while incorporating field segments that mirror his popular Instagram stories.
Fortune Feimster: Comedian, writer and actor Fortune Feimster is back on tour! In her smash-hit standup specials (including Netflix’s Sweet & Salty), Fortune recounts embarrassing and hilarious true stories of growing up in North Carolina. She’s the reigning queen of instantly iconic TV appearances, from late night (Chelsea Lately, Conan, Late Night with Seth Meyers) to sitcoms (The Mindy Project, Kenan, Champions) to reality show guest judging panels (Rupaul’s Drag Race, Is It Cake?). You’ve heard her recognizable southern drawl as co-host of the podcasts What a Joke with Papa and Fortune and Sincerely, Fortune.
The festival will run from April 15th through the 23rd. Tickets and more information can be found here.
