Host Nate Bargatze speaks during the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — In a world where humor competes with the void of televised drama, Nate Bargatze donned the host hat for this year’s Emmy Awards—proving that even stand-up comedians can stand up to the Hollywood elite. The evening commenced with an irony-laden sketch featuring “Saturday Night Live” luminaries like Mikey Day, Bowen Yang, and James Austin Johnson, along with Bargatze masquerading as television’s very own Philo T. Farnsworth. Seems even the inventor of television couldn’t foresee the absurdity that is modern media.
As the audience chuckled—or perhaps sobbed—at the absurdity of television obsession, Bargatze quipped, “We create a world where the finest artists craft stories of staggering beauty that millions will watch on their phones while sitting on the toilet.” Touché, Nate. Fear not, for your comedic prowess was rolling stronger than a 24-hour marathon of “Reality TV.”
At 46, the Tennessee native challenged the conventional wisdom of what it means to host an awards ceremony. “Why am I hosting?” he mused, pointing out that his Hollywood track record resembles an unflattering Yelp review. But, he reassured the crowd, “It’s going great everywhere else!” By everywhere else, we can only assume he meant the world of live comedy—where at least the feedback isn’t as cutthroat.
Bargatze’s opening sketch reached peak observational comedy when he forecasted the future of TV: “The Learning Channel will be dominated by hoarders, couch cushion connoisseurs, and pimple poppers.” Seriously, who needs drama when you have real-life horror stories? And when he hinted at the existence of a “whites-only” network, he effortlessly pointed to CBS as if it were the punchline to a tired old joke.
Continuing down the ironic road, he predicted streaming services as “a new way for companies to lose money.” If only someone had the foresight to tell them that earlier! Upon Yang’s observation regarding ad-free watching, Bargatze deadpanned, “If only it were that simple!” Truly the voice of the people—the ones who still remember what commercials are.
In a groundbreaking twist, Bargatze ingeniously tied a donation scheme to the acceptance speeches, vowing to donate $100,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs while slashing a grand for every second over the 45-second mark. Seth Rogen, the first up, managed to stay under time—because obviously, he wasn’t channeling his inner “Superbad” during his own win. Cue the not-so-surprised reactions from the audience as the numbers fluctuated from $106,000 to a deficit of $60,000 by show’s end. It’s almost as if the universe conspired against charity.
When “The Pitt” was crowned as the night’s dramatic winner, Bargatze declared CBS would contribute $100,000, and he’d throw in a cool $250,000. A fine demonstration of how to announce a loss while still being philanthropic. Now that’s a money-saving hack for the ages—turn your losses into charitable donations and hope no one remembers who really lost!
