Comedian Nate Bargatze has been tapped to host the Emmys Sunday, September 14. And he’s leaving nothing to chance.
In fact, the famously clean comedian has a plan to keep long-winded award winners from taking up too much time at the podium. But that plan just might cost him big bucks.
During a September 9 appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” Nate said he wants winners to keep their acceptance speeches short. And he’s willing to pay for it.
Nate says he’ll donate $100-thousand out of his own pocket to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, if Emmy winners keep their thank yous to 45 seconds or less.
“If someone goes over, we take away $1,000 a second every time they go over,” Nate said. “I know, it’s tough, but look, you can also, if you go under we will put a thousand dollars back on.”
Comedian Says ‘We’ve Got Three Hours. We Don’t Need to Use It All’
Jimmy Kimmel questioned Nate Bargatze about his plan. “Have you done the math though? Have you determined how much this could be? If people race through their speeches, how much could this cost you?”
“It could get wild. That means everybody’s got to go give their time up,” he said. “We’ve got three hours. We don’t have to use it all.”
But he also won’t be mad if speeches do end up going long. “But the ones that go long, that’s fine. Get me down to like $10,000. I’ll be like, ‘Alright,’” Nate told Jimmy.
Nate’s Emmy Plan Comes With a Secret Weapon
The comedian has a secret weapon to help his plan succeed.
Nate Bargatze says he’ll have kids from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America at the ceremony. “Yeah, so it’s real real,” he told Jimmy.
And he promises the donation will come directly out of his pocket. “I’m putting the money up,” he said, “The joke is funnier if it’s coming from me.”
Bargatze says while he knows winning an Emmy is a big achievement, 45 seconds should be plenty of time for a speech.
“It’s out of my hands. I’m sorry to put it on [you], but we’ve got a TV show we’ve got to get through. You’ve got 45 seconds. That’s a ton of time. I didn’t get to thank anybody cuz I lost multiple times.”
How to Watch the 77th Annual Emmy Awards
The 2025 Emmy Awards airs on Sunday, September 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS and live streaming on Paramount+.
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