Nate Bargatze rescued fan-favorite “SNL” Washington sketch from chopping block

Nate Bargatze portrayed George Washington both times he hosted Saturday Night Live, but the comic says the beloved sketch almost didn't happen the first time if he hadn't spoken up.

"What I realized is you do have a lot more say than you think you do at SNL," Bargatze said on a recent episode of Vulture's Good One podcast hosted by Jesse David Fox. The comedian first hosted the Lorne Michaels-created show on Oct. 28, 2023 where the sketch was first featured.

The sketch in question — watch it below — features Bargatze as the future first president of the United States, as he surprises soldiers fighting in the American Revolutionary War. They're gathered by a fire in a break from combat, and Washington waxes philosophical on exactly what their side is fighting for: the right to "measure weights in pounds" and call 2,000 pounds "a ton" and to calculate the volume of some but not all liquids in milliliters and gallons, as opposed to using the metric system used by most other countries. Football will also be a separate sport with only "a little kicking," rather than the sport known elsewhere as soccer. Throughout, cast member Kenan Thompson asks about any plans for men of color, but Bargatze's Washington ignores his queries.

The stand-up comic recalled that the sketch — written by cast member Mikey Day and co-head writer Streeter Seidell, both of whom were also guests on the podcast, with help from Auguste White — had been listed "on the maybes" for sketches that would make it into that night's dress rehearsal in front of an audience to determine which would be included in the live show later. That's when Michaels asked the host for any input.

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"I was like, 'I like that Washington sketch,'" Bargatze said. "He goes 'alright,' and he put it last."

Bargatze's words hadn't come easily.

"I do remember thinking, like, they said I could say stuff, but do I say something?"

The entire week, he said, he was thinking, "So part of him was just thinking "I don't want to ruin your 50 years of television."

But he felt the bit, titled "Washington's Dream," was a winner, even though Michaels was skeptical and even though it required the most intense costumes of the episode, forcing everyone to change.

"Because I, I'm not a good auditioner … so, like, a table read, with no crowd," Bargatze expl. "I'm good with a crowd. So I think that's why I was never worried about it." He knew "just let me get in front of a crowd, it's going to be great."

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After all, he's used to "stopping because of laughter and like playing with the rhythm of the crowd."

Finally, they tried it.

"It destroyed," Bargatze said. "It murdered at dress."

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Not only did the sketch make it to the live show, but Bargatze starred in a sequel when he hosted again this October. In that one, the founding father riffed on the importance of Americans being free to name their food things that don't make sense, such as a buffalo wing being made of chicken.

Bargatze's latest comedy special, Your Friend, Nate Bargatze, is streaming on Netflix.

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Listen to Bargatze, Day, and Seidell go into detail about the hit sketch on Good One below.

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