Emmys 2025: Host Nate Bargatze’s speech countdown raises $350K for Boys & Girls Club of America

Comedian Nate Bargatze took up hosting duties from the father-son duo of Eugene and Dan Levy for the Emmys 2025. The Emmy-nominated host (for Your Friend, Nate Bargatze) is a beloved comedian with three personal comedy specials on Netflix.

The comedian not only brought his familiar and heartwarming hosting style to the Emmys 2025 but also announced a charity donation of $100,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of America. However, to make the awards night even more entertaining and to keep the winner's speech within the allotted 45 seconds, Bargatze had a witty plan.

He announced that for every winner who goes beyond the 45-second mark, he will deduct $1,000 from his donation. However, the comedian also promised that an extra $1,000 would be added every time a winner abided by the 45-second rule.

While this charity gimmick sounds exciting, it failed miserably, and the donation went into a negative $26,000. But worry not, your gracious host announced that he will add to the donation, making it a total of $350,000 by the end of the night.

To make his donation gimmick even more theatrical at the Emmys 2025, Bargatze even invited Boys & Girls Club alum JB Smoove and a few children from the organization.

More on this in our story.

Emmys 2025: All about host Nate Bargatze’s charity donation for Boys & Girls Club of America

Emmy host Bargatze first announced his genius plan at Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show. The comedian revealed how he has taken it upon himself to keep the Emmys speeches under the 45-second mark:

"I know people work hard for the Emmys and stuff. So I feel bad, but that's [the plan]."

However, the comedian's plan did not go as intended, and the Boys & Girls Club of America ended with a negative $26,000, which was calculated at the end of the Emmys 2025 night. The Studio's Seth Rogen, who closed the awards night on a high note by winning the award for Outstanding Comedy Series, even addressed Nate Bargatze’s disastrous plan as:

''[We] f---ed over the Boys & Girls."

To cover up his speech countdown blunder, Bargatze and Smoove announced that they would be adding money to this tally, which increased the total amount to $350,000. While this moment was certainly heartfelt for the Boys & Girls Club of America and was a good deed on Bargatze's part, it negated the comedian's whole setup (which he announced at the beginning of the Emmys 2025).

While Nate Bargatze's fans were initially on board with the idea and even looked forward to it at the Emmys 2025, it eventually became an annoying and repetitive joke. Many fans on Reddit are back-lashing this countdown (which appeared on screen every time a winner was announced):

''Yeah I don't understand this take at all. Like isn't that half the point of watching the awards—to hear from the winners?'' u/Rhain1999 feels

However, many fans also liked the comedian's setup and even gave him hilarious suggestions for the future:

''Make it like the piggy bank from Squid Games. But it empties instead of fills up.'' a Reddit user joked

''With giant text that reads “(insert name) stole $1000 from these kids!” another Reddit user joined the fun bandwagon

Love it or hate it, but Nate Bargatze’s speech countdown was certainly a unique way to raise charity, while involving all the winners in the good deed. However, the bet fell flat till the Emmys 2025 reached its conclusion. The comedian still closed the night on a high and managed to raise $350,000 for the Boys & Girls Club of America.

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