Emmys’ charity stunt slammed as ‘vile’ by outraged viewers
'Weird and distasteful even if it’s fake and supposed to be a joke.’
Emmys 2025 host Nate Bargatze is facing a brutal wave of criticism after his charity stunt at last night’s ceremony appalled viewers.
At the top of the show, the comedian announced that he would donate $100,000 (£73,626) to the Boys & Girls Club of America.
But there was a catch: every winner had 45 seconds for their acceptance speech, with $1k (£736) added for every second under the limit, and $1k deducted for every second over.
The premise might have sounded clever in the writers’ room, but in practice it was a tone-deaf misfire that turned philanthropy into a kind of live-television punishment game.
As speeches rolled on, the on-screen tally ticked downward, transforming heartfelt moments of gratitude or political statements into moral dilemmas for the audience and the winners themselves.
When Hannah Einbinder became aware that her speech was running over, she interrupted herself to say, ‘Oh, I’ll pay the difference, sorry.’
