Nate Bargatze Defends Charity Bit At The Emmys

Nate Bargatze is defending the charity bit he applied on the 2025 Emmys to maintain speeches at a minimal regardless of receiving flak from critics.

The comic bought backlash over a bit on the award ceremony the place he promised to donate $100,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of America. However, the cash pot would diminish for each speech that went over the 45-second allotted time for the Emmy recipients. An on-screen ticker appeared in the course of the speeches, exhibiting how the entire sum decreased because the award winners exceeded their time.

“A lot of reviews did not like that, but it came from a real place of heart,” Bargatze mentioned on the newest episode of the Nateland podcast. “Everybody at home loved it. It was fun and entertaining to see money go down and all that. I wasn’t trying to put anyone on the spot or make someone donate money. In my head I thought, ‘Make it fun.’ We’re not using the charity as a tool.”

The stand-up comedian mentioned he “wasn’t trying to overshadow any of their speeches,” including, “What I thought would happen in the room… I thought it was going to be like Netflix donating or Apple. I did not expect [15-year-old Adolescence winner Owen Cooper] to give money.”

He continued, “In my head, I pictured it as [actors] could then go long but then be a hero. So it was like a win-win. Then the night becomes about love and giving to these kids that are there and all this kind of stuff. I don’t know if I just didn’t explain it enough in the room. There was no ill will. I was trying to have a very giving night. I thought if people were giving long speeches they’d be like, ‘Netflix is going to cover it.’ I could’ve explained it more.”

At the tip of the award ceremony, Bargatze introduced that the quantity was so “embarrassing,” CBS donated $100,000, and he donated $250,000 for a complete of $350,000.

The Emmys reached a 4-year viewership excessive with Bargatze as host, drawing in 7.42 million viewers throughout CBS and Paramount+, marking a four-year viewership excessive, in keeping with early Nielsen information. It was up 8% from the 76th iteration on ABC final 12 months.