America’s top-selling comedian has nothing to say after he was caught on camera grinning with MAGA royalty at the White House.
While a source close to Bargatze insisted that the comedy star attended Donald Trump’s 80th birthday event because UFC is his “favorite sport,” making his appearance “not political,” his silence as fans flood his social media profiles with messages of disappointment appears to some as confirmation of his support for MAGA.
The Daily Beast asked Bargatze’s representative directly whether the comedian had any statement to make about either his decision to attend the event or the slur hurled at former first lady Michelle Obama by one of the fighters. Bargatze’s rep did not respond to our request for comment.
Bargatze did not post about his plans to attend the UFC Freedom 250 on the White House’s South Lawn beforehand and has remained quiet on social media since. Unrelated posts from the comedian are filled with fans saying they plan to boycott upcoming shows they had already purchased tickets to.
“It’s a problem that you didn’t think that appearance would be problematic,” wrote one on his newest Instagram post.
“Not political but hangs with corruption and the Epstein class. Nah,” wrote another.
Celebrities have also weighed in, including Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Academy Award-winning filmmaker and music director for The Tonight Show, who expressed his disappointment in the comedy star on Monday. He wrote in a comment on Instagram circulating the Daily Beast’s report on the comedian, “damn man….*sigh*….I was rooting for him too……”
Jimmy Kimmel Live staff writer and Conan alum Laurie Kilmartin posted on Threads, “All I know is if I were to attend an event that led my peers, friends, or fan to conclude that I am MAGA or sympathetic to Trump, I would post an immediate, all-caps correction on every app, even BlueSky.”
A source previously told the Daily Beast that Bargatze discussed the potential backlash with his team before deciding to attend anyway. MAGA-adjacent comedians Shane Gillis and Tony Hinchcliffe were also in attendance. Only Gillis has spoken out, telling TMZ that he “didn’t love” the vile comments made about Mrs. Obama from the ring.
The slur was made during a bizarre outburst by one of the UFC fighters, 28-year-old Josh Hokit, who said to Joe Rogan in a post-match interview, “Michelle Obama is a man! Am I right, America?” CNN reported that Trump, who has regularly targeted the Obamas, “appeared to show a half-smile.”
The family-friendly comic, known for his clean, profanity-free comedy, brought in $56.7M in ticket sales in 2025 with his Big Dumb Eyes World Tour, according to Billboard, solidifying him as the highest-grossing comedian in the country.
Bargatze told The Washington Post that he doesn’t discuss politics in his act because, he said, “I don’t think it’s what people are coming to me for.” He is politically aware, however, even though he has committed to never divulging how he votes. “I actually enjoy politics,” he said at the time, “I don’t talk about them, but I enjoy them.”
He told Esquire the following year, “If I want to give you my opinion on who I voted for, who’s that for? It’s for me, really, because I want you to know I’m smart. I don’t think it’s really helping an audience. You don’t think they know who to vote for? They’re living life.”
But the native Tennessean, who says he takes photos with fans of all political persuasions, has been pictured cozied up with Trump’s closest allies. In February, while in his home state to discuss his proposed Nateland theme park, he posed with Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, who promised her constituents she would “fight wokeness” by dismantling DEI initiatives, limiting abortion access, and introducing legislation that penalizes teachers for “pushing far-left ideology,” according to her website.
At Trump’s birthday fight on Sunday, the comedian took smiling photos with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, as well as Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, podcaster Joe Rogan and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee.
