Comedian Nate Bargatze has a new role that has nothing to do with stand-up or the big screen. The Tennessee native and father of three has been named the face of Ford Motor Company's new customer service campaign, titled «Real Parts. Real Pros. Real Easy.» The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker announced the partnership on Monday, positioning Bargatze as the relatable everyman who freely admits he does not know everything about car maintenance.
In the campaign's first ad, Bargatze delivers a line that captures the spirit of the effort: «Look, I don't know how to take care of my truck. But the technicians at Ford Service — they do.» The comedian told Fox News Digital in a recent on-camera interview that he was «super excited» when Ford approached him about the collaboration. «I'm a big Ford fan. I have a Ford Bronco. I love Ford — it's an iconic company. They've been around for a long time,» he said.
Bargatze said the appeal of the campaign lies in its emphasis on trust and simplicity. «I think Ford's done the best at it. And especially with their service business, I think they're doing a great job. It's an iconic brand that's also evolving and moving forward,» he said. He praised the company for making vehicle servicing straightforward for customers, noting that Ford uses genuine parts and factory-trained technicians. He also mentioned that his own Bronco «gets fixed a lot easier when they come to your house,» a nod to the convenience of mobile service options.
The campaign is designed to make vehicle maintenance feel less intimidating by leaning into Bargatze's clean-cut, family-friendly humor. Ford said the effort highlights its parts, its trained professionals and its convenient service offerings. For Bargatze, the partnership fits naturally with his broader comedic philosophy, which he describes as grounded in everyday life rather than polarization.
«Everything is so polarizing, and everything is so extreme and life or death. But you know — not that certain things aren't serious — but a lot of life is people just taking their kids to school, and they've got to drop off three kids, and then you've got a soccer game and a baseball game. And, you know, you're just living life,» he said. He added that the pace of modern life has «sped up, and it's been speeding up more and more. So I think people want to take a breath, they want to take a step back. Not everything needs to be so polarizing. Things can still be just simpler.»
That philosophy extends to his stand-up performances, where he deliberately avoids politics. «It's a ton of people just coming out, and they get to have fun, and they get to laugh... and I want to be there for them,» he said. He views his shows as a chance for audiences to «take a break» from the stresses of daily life, a parallel he sees in Ford's service promise. «It fits! Ford has their parts. So when you buy a Ford car, it's not complicated. You have it all from one place. The people that are making it — they're coming to help fix your car or take care of your car. It is from Ford. So I think it's a big trust issue,» he said.
Bargatze said the values of trust and reliability that Ford represents mirror his own goals as a performer and filmmaker. «It's their values and what they stand for and the trust that they have — that's exactly what I want to do with making movies and doing stand-up. I want people to be able to rely on it and know what to expect, and not be surprised by it. And just be trusted,» he said.
His approach to comedy remains deliberately self-deprecating. «I make fun of me. I make fun of myself... and I try not to go outwards,» he said. «When you keep it that simple, that's why it works. No one feels like when they come to the show that it's going to be about them, or that I'm going to be making fun of something that they like or don't like — whatever it is. I'm just talking about me and my family and stuff that we go through, the everyday kind of things.» He added that this authenticity is why stand-up comedy can stand the test of time. «It can't get any more authentic than just a person talking to an audience.»
The Ford campaign marks another high-profile move for Bargatze, who has been expanding his reach beyond comedy clubs. He is preparing for his first movie release and has previously revealed a family-focused vision behind a $350 million theme park project in Nashville. The Ford partnership adds a mainstream corporate endorsement to a career built on clean, relatable humor and a deliberately non-polarizing public persona.