The 2025 Emmy Awards raised $350,000 for the Boys and Girls Club after host Nate Bargatze pledged to donate $100,000 with the incentive of keeping the winners’ acceptance speeches 45 seconds or shorter.
Bargatze kicked off Sunday’s awards show by explaining that he was challenged to come up with a way to keep the acceptance speeches within the allotted time. “Honestly, give your speech. I know how hard you guys have all worked to get here. I’m not trying to take anything away,” he said. “Fory-five seconds. That’s what you got. And if you want to do more than that, do it on social media later. More people are gonna see it there anyway.”
He then explained that he was starting the show by donating $100,000 to the Boys and Girls Club, which was met with a round of applause. “If you stay 45 seconds, it stays at $100,000,” he continued, adding that he would deduct $1,000 from the total every time someone’s speech went over 45 seconds.
“It’s brutal. What you gonna do though?” he said. “I can’t change it. This is a game I made up and these are the rules.”
However, the first-time Emmys host said that the show would add $1,000 for every speech that went under 45 seconds. He then asked how long The Studio‘s Seth Rogen’s acceptance speech was for best actor in a comedy at the top of the show, which was under the allotted amount of time.
While Bargatze frequently checked in on the amount raised, JB Smoove introduced the audience to two young members of the Boys and Girls Club to remind the nominees about the importance of the donation. “Nate, this is the most amazing idea I’ve ever seen. You are truly an amazing, amazing, amazing host tonight. And these 45 seconds — whew! I love it,” he said before reminding the crowd to “zip it” if their speeches were going over 45 seconds.
Several of the nominees considered the donation during their acceptance speeches. While accepting supporting actress in a comedy series, Hacks star Hannah Einbinder said she would “pay the difference” when she noticed her speech was going over time. Later on in the show, Rogen and Evan Goldberg concluded their acceptance speech for outstanding directing for a comedy series for The Studio by declaring that they finished their speech in under 45 seconds. While presenting outstanding live variety special, Tina Fey told Bargatze that she would “pay for the time” after quipping a joke.
“Go Boys and Girls Clubs of America, go!” Daniel O’Brien said at the end of his acceptance speech for best writing for a variety series for Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. Earlier in the night, the same team made sure to keep their speech short while accepting the outstanding scripted variety series award. “John Oliver added some time again and I think they have won enough,” Bargatze said later on in the show.
However, many of the winners eventually gave up on keeping their speeches shorter than 45 seconds and watched the dollar amount go down as they took their time. Stephen Colbert went over the allotted time while accepting best talk show, while the cast and crew of The Studio acknowledged that the money amount was going down when accepting best comedy series.
The ceremony concluded only three minutes after 11 p.m. ET, with Bargatze stating that the amount of money they lost was “embarrassing.” He then shared that CBS was going to add $100,000 to the donation, while he would personally give $250,000. “It takes us to $350,000 for the Boys and Girls Club,” he announced.
Ahead of the awards show, Bargatze revealed on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he was going to begin the awards show with the donation incentive. He made it clear he was taking the plan seriously by revealing that he put up his own money for the donation. “It’s up to that room how much they want to give them, or how little they want to give them,” he said. “It’s out of my hands. I’m sorry to put it on, but we’ve got a TV show to get through.”
The 2025 Emmy Awards were held at the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles.
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