Comedian Nate Bargatze came up with an ingenious way to ensure speeches at the 2025 Emmys will be quick.
Prior to the awards show on Sunday, Sept. 14, Bargatze, who is serving as host for the first time, shared his plan to keep the ceremony on schedule during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
“What I came up with is I’m going to donate $100,000 to the Boys & Girls Club. That’s what the show’s starting out with,” he said.
He further explained his plan when the 2025 Emmys began and Bargatze’s idea came into fruition.
“I know how hard you guys have all worked to get here. I’m not trying to take anything away. Forty-five seconds, that’s what you got,” he said. “If you want to do more than that, do it on social media later, more people are going to see it there anyway.”
As he revealed his $100,000 donation, the figure appeared on a screen next to him. The audience applauded before he continued, “Remember how fun that was because this part is hard to say. If you stay at 45 seconds, it stays at $100,000.”
The nominees gasped as they realized what would happen if they went past the 45-second limit.
“Every second you go over 45 seconds, we will deduct $1,000 away from the Boys & Girls Club. That’s tough. It’s brutal. What are you gonna do, though? You know, I can’t change it. This is a game I made up, and these are the rules,” he joked.
Bargatze cheerfully added that if the winners go under, he will put $1,000 for every second back into the donation fund.
He revealed that Seth Rogen, who won the first award of the night for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series, unknowingly added $5,000 thanks to his brief remarks.
To finish his monologue, Bargatze quipped, “Don’t go crazy, though, because, like, I’m paying for this. Some of you go over a little, some go under. Do the right thing.”
The number later went down to $98,000 after Katherine LaNasa delivered her remarks for best supporting actress for “The Pitt.”
He later announced that fellow comedian JB Smoove was helping keep track of the time. JB Smoove, a Boys & Girls Club alum, was shown sitting in the audience with two members of Boys & Girls Club also in attendance.
More children appeared throughout the night, as well as a ticker monitoring how much money remained in the fund. Toward the end of the evening, the amount dipped into into the red as speeches became longer.
Bargatze appeared on stage at the end of the show and said the number was “embarrassing.”
But, thankfully, Bargatze, who stood beside Smoove and four children from the Boys & Girls Club on stage as the ceremony wrapped, said, “CBS is going to add $100,000. I will give $250,000. It takes us to $350,000 for the Boys & Girls Club. Thank you guys so much for being out here!”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
