Nate Bargatze is sticking to what he knows best as he gears up to host the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.
The standup comedian sold more than a million tickets to his tour last year, making him the highest grossing comedian in the country. He’s done comedy for over two decades and told TheWrap at a certain point all you can do is trust that the work is done.
“Doing comedy for 22 years, I’ve learned that, even as I do comedy or even standup, you got to trust that there has been a lot of training,” he said.
The Emmys broadcast Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on CBS, and stream live on Paramount+ Premium.
Known for his deadpanned comedic style and self-proclaimed “Big Dumb Eyes” — the title of his bestselling book and sold out standup tour — Bargatze said not to expect any kind of song and dance from the comedian. After speaking with former hosts and comics, like Conan O’Brien, Lorne Michaels, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Nikki Glaser, Bargatze said that the same message rang true: “Just do you.”
The clean, apolitical comic said that is likely what you can expect from him on Sunday night, but hosting does come with a little roasting. For the nominee himself, Bargatze said he will make fun of himself as much as anyone in the audience.
“I want to feel different,” he said. “If we talk about them, I want to do it in a way that hasn’t been done.”
“When the celebrities are there, you want to be able to see them afterwards and it not be weird. Jokes are naturally going to be kind of mean. That’s the only way it’s going to be funny,” he added. “We’re going to have jokes about shows, but I’m not trying to be, I don’t want to make anybody sad.”
Nate Bargatze to Host the 2025 Emmys
The standup has introduced a new twist as he takes the reins for the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. The comedian set up a $100,000 donation to the Boys and Girls Club of America, but the twist is that for every second an acceptance speech goes over the 45-second mark the kids will get $1,000 deducted from the prize fund.
“The kids will be there and see it and feel it,” he said, noting a select few Boys and Girls Club will be attendance. “So is thanking your second manager worth taking food from a child? I don’t think so, but we’ll see what Hollywood thinks.”
The comedian’s week is not all about the Emmys, though. Bargatze has three shows to go before hitting the stage in Los Angeles Sunday night. He has one show Friday and two shows Saturday in Denver. The standup said that he thrives in the chaos.
“I like it being crazy,” he said. “It’ll be nice not to be just sitting around. I’ll get to go do three shows, and then be ready to come right back Sunday and be in that mode of being funny.”
Unlike Golden Globes host Glaser, Bargatze said the gigs won’t necessarily be warmup shows for his Emmys material. He said there won’t be a list of jokes to run past his audiences ahead of the big night. He teased that his material will be somewhat scripted but will also be fluid in the moment.
The Nashville native appeals to his audiences for his slice-of-life comedic style, making funnies out of the pedestrian trials of everyday life. He said touring the country has given him a better gauge on what is making Americans laugh today.
“I’m not political in my stuff. I try to be kind of evergreen in that kind of world. And I can see, you know, you can feel that they appreciate that,” he said. “It’s hard. You’re in L.A. We all are around the same people in the industry, and so you can get swallowed up in that. Doing stand up comedy, it’s been a huge benefit.”
Bargatze was nominated twice this year for Outstanding Variety Special and Outstanding Writing for his Netflix special “Your Friend, Nate Bargatze,” but he lost to “SNL50: The Anniversary Special.”
