The 2025 Emmy Awards turned into a thrilling, charity-driven spectacle, ultimately raising a staggering $350,000 for the Boys and Girls Club. The innovative incentive came from host Nate Bargatze, who pledged an initial $100,000 donation on the condition that winners kept their acceptance speeches to 45 seconds or less.
Kicking off Sunday's glittering ceremony, Bargatze shared his creative challenge aimed at maintaining a brisk pace. "Honestly, give your speech. I know how hard you've all worked to get here. I’m not trying to take anything away," he said warmly. "Forty-five seconds. That’s what you got. And if you want to say more, do it on social media later. More people will see it there anyway."
He then made a grand gesture, announcing his personal donation of $100,000 to the Boys and Girls Club, which was met with a wave of applause. "If you stay within 45 seconds, it stays at $100,000," he explained, adding a twist: "But for every second over, I’ll deduct $1,000 from the total." With a mischievous grin, he declared, "It’s brutal. What are you gonna do though? I can’t change it. This is a game I made up, and these are the rules."
Not stopping there, Bargatze offered a carrot alongside the stick: an extra $1,000 would be added for every speech that came in under 45 seconds. He playfully inquired about the length of Seth Rogen’s acceptance speech for Best Actor in a Comedy at the show's start, which was indeed under the time limit.
Throughout the evening, Bargatze frequently updated the audience on the running total, while JB Smoove introduced two young members of the Boys and Girls Club to the crowd, serving as a poignant reminder of the donation's importance. "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," Smoove exclaimed, urging the crowd to "zip it" if their speeches ran long.
Several nominees took the donation into consideration during their speeches. Hannah Einbinder, star of "Hacks," while accepting the award for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, humorously offered to "pay the difference" when she realized her speech was nearing the limit. Later, Rogen and Evan Goldberg proudly declared that they had finished their acceptance speech for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for "The Studio" well under 45 seconds. Tina Fey, while presenting Outstanding Live Variety Special, quipped that she would "pay for the time" after delivering a joke.
"Go Boys and Girls Clubs of America, go!" cheered Daniel O’Brien 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 had kept 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 joked later in the show.
However, as the night wore on, many winners eventually let their speeches run over the allotted time, watching the dollar amount dwindle as they took their time. Stephen Colbert exceeded the time limit while accepting Best Talk Show, and the cast and crew of "The Studio" acknowledged the decreasing donation amount while accepting Best Comedy Series.
The ceremony wrapped up just three minutes after 11 p.m. ET, with Bargatze lamenting the "embarrassing" amount of money lost due to overruns. But there was a silver lining: CBS agreed to add $100,000 to the donation, and Bargatze himself pledged an additional $250,000. "It takes us to $350,000 for the Boys and Girls Club," he announced triumphantly.
Prior to the awards show, Bargatze had teased the donation incentive on an episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" He emphasized his commitment to the plan by revealing that he had staked his own money on the line. "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 you, but we’ve got a TV show to get through."
The 2025 Emmy Awards unfolded at the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles, leaving an indelible mark as a night where entertainment and philanthropy seamlessly intertwined.
