Nate Bargatze’s Emmys Money Bit Is Not Working

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During the closing moments of the 77th Emmy Awards, host Nate Bargatze revealed a surprising twist. Throughout the three-hour show, he jokingly warned people that lengthy acceptance speeches were costing money for the Boys & Girls Club of America. However, it was all a setup! Bargatze confessed he would personally donate $250,000, and CBS is adding another $100,000. This meant all the rushed speeches were unnecessary. While Bargatze promised a lighthearted and joke-filled show, he repeatedly focused on this single bit-the supposed donation loss from long speeches-which ultimately made the show less enjoyable and felt like an odd, self-defeating pattern for awards shows.

When Nate Bargatze first described his joke to CNN, the idea of awarding money for speech length seemed funny. He planned to keep the awards show moving quickly and donate the money to charity. However, the joke quickly became tiresome. Bargatze’s premise was that awards show speeches are often self-centered and long-winded, which is common. But in reality, these speeches are usually heartfelt, nervous, and full of gratitude. It felt odd to watch people tearfully thank loved ones while a timer counted down the money being ‘lost’. Several first-time nominees and winners, including Tramell Tillman, Jeff Hiller, Hannah Einbinder, and Owen Cooper, had to adjust their acceptance speeches to fit the joke. Even John Oliver, a multiple Emmy winner, used his stage time to playfully scold Bargatze. Throughout the show, Bargatze repeatedly reminded the audience about the accumulating money, but the joke didn’t develop or become more complex. He just kept repeating the same idea, which hurt the flow of the show. Ironically, Bargatze was often the slowest speaker on stage.

It felt pretty certain someone – either Nate Bargatze or a sponsor like CBS – would ultimately cover the full amount. But even if they do, it doesn’t really make up for Dan Gilroy likely feeling awkward about thanking his brothers for their time working on *Andor*. The Emmys could save a lot of time next year by just letting people finish their speeches instead of spending minutes explaining a joke that didn’t land.

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2025-09-15 06:56