Trending badgeTrendingPosted 1 hour agoSubscribe to Screen Time NewsletterCaret DownEveryone REALLY Doesn't Like Nate Bargatze's "Speech Counter" At The 2025 EmmysYikes.by Larry FitzmauriceBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink If you've been watching the 2025 Emmys tonight, you know standup comedian Nate Bargatze is hosting the main event. Opinions may vary as to how he's doing. Personally, I think he's been kind of awful. But that's just me! Christopher Polk / Variety via Getty Images There's one specific part of Nate's hosting gig that pretty much everyone agrees is terrible: the running "speech counter" he unveiled at the beginning of the show. Basically, at the start of the show, he pledged a $100,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America - but, for any acceptance speech that goes over 45 seconds, the donation amount begins to decrease. Kevin Winter / Getty Images The bit became exhausting, fast. For the show's first half, a counter would run on the corner of the screen, showing how much money was being lost during the more passionate speeches. When Adolescence's Owen Cooper became the youngest male winner in Emmys history and gave his speech, they stopped running the counter - presumably because, well, it looked extremely tacky and insulting to the people onstage having a big moment for themselves. Christopher Polk / Variety via Getty Images Nate kept bringing up the counter in between awards anyway - presumably because he didn't have much else prepped in terms of jokes - and the viewers' collective patience was increasingly tried. Here's a small sampling of reactions that people had to the unnecessary gambit: the bit with the countdown clock wouldn't suck so bad if the host didn't spend 6 seconds going uhhhhh every time he has to speak- Rebecca Alter (@ralter) September 15, 2025 @ralter / Via x.com did they turn off the counter for owen cooper because they realized what a horrible image that would be? have they considered it's just as horrible for all the other speeches too- character actress georgie rae (@georgie_rae_) September 15, 2025 @georgie_rae_ / Via x.com This disciplining of winners who go over their speeches by deducting donations from a charity is beyond tacky & vile. Whoever thought of this should be put in awards show jail to never touch one again.
And IDC if they end up giving the full 100K-the optics are still bad. #Emmys- Tomris Laffly (@TomiLaffly) September 15, 2025 @TomiLaffly / Via x.com the donation bit making my stomach hurt during every speech- paul (@paulswhtn) September 15, 2025 @paulswhtn / Via x.com Not a fan of this Emmy charity timer bit. This is a huge moment for these artists and it's bad enough to make them feel rushed and then add a moral quandary to it. The speeches are the highlight of the night, but not if they're all cut short #Emmys- Jack Murphy @ TIFF (@OscarFilmFC) September 15, 2025 @OscarFilmFC / Via x.com Funny idea, but this Emmys speech-shortening bit is a bust. Getting played off has been replaced by....getting shamed off?? Speeches deliver fun moments on these awards shows. Now everyone is just rushing through the same names.- Matthew Belloni (@MattBelloni) September 15, 2025 @MattBelloni / Via x.com idc how woke i sound but the boys and girls club bit wasnt funny at all... forcing people to have short speeches when thats literally the whole point of award shows is just so obnoxious. especially dangling a charity in front of our face is even weirder #Emmys2025- 🛒 (@tayhader) September 15, 2025 @tayhader / Via x.com i'm sorry but the whole donation countdown is weird (just, idk, donate the money instead of turning it into a wacky game??) and so is nate bargatze mentioning the swear jar in response to hannah einbinder's "fuck ICE"- saloni gajjar (@saloni_g) September 15, 2025 @saloni_g / Via x.com Ok the boys and girls club donation amount flashing on screen getting lower in real time as someone gives their speech for winning a once in a lifetime award actually already feels kind of evil #Emmys- Mara Webster 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@Mara_Webster) September 15, 2025 @Mara_Webster / Via x.com What dumbass straight guy came up with this Boys and Girls money pot/speech shit. So tacky. #Emmys- Kevin Jacobsen (@Kevin_Jacobsen) September 15, 2025 @Kevin_Jacobsen / Via x.com the Boys and Girls club bit doesn't work, respectfully, because every presenter gets to take their sweet time presenting their lame bit of copy while the actual winners are more concerned with not robbing children rather than enjoying their moment. a fail- Chris Murphy (@christress) September 15, 2025 @christress / Via x.com The speech joke already exhausting- sam greisman (@SAMGREIS) September 15, 2025 @SAMGREIS / Via x.com sorry for being that friend that's too woke but i think the money thing is kind of evil- olivia (@residentliv) September 15, 2025 @residentliv / Via x.com was Jo Koy not available- david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) September 15, 2025 @davidehrlich / Via Twitter: @davidehrlich Indeed - where'