An award show host's job is to keep the night running smoothly, and Nate Bargatze sure did his darnedest.

The comedian, 46, upped the stakes at the 2025 Emmys by deducting money from his planned donation to the Boys and Girls Club of America every time a winner's speech exceeded the allotted 45 seconds.

"That's tough, it's brutal," Bargatze told the crowd, to mixed reactions and uneasy laughter. "What are you gonna do, though? I can't change it − this is a game I made up and these are the rules."

Except he did, making sure the Boys and Girls Club took home the gold this year after all. But how much exactly did they net?

How much did Nate Bargatze donate at the Emmys?

Bargatze promised to deduct $1,000 for every second a speech went over and add $1,000 for any speech under 45 seconds. Seth Rogen's lingering "The Studio" speech alone lost the money pot a whopping $60,000.

Bargatze ended the night promising a total of $350,000 to the Boys and Girls Club, a much higher donation than he had originally promised before the speeches.

"The number, I'll be honest with you, it was embarrassing. It went way down," Bargatze said. "I can't imagine ever doing this again, so CBS is going to add $100,000, I will give $250,000."

Why Nate Bargatze was 'sweating' ahead of Emmys incentive

Bargatze dreamed up the incentive ahead of this weekend's award show, he told USA TODAY.

Though Bargatze is a champion of nice-guy humor, he insisted that this one wasn't a joke. Kids from the organization stood with him on stage to add pressure.

"I want to give money to the Boys & Girls Club, (but) this is my money," the comedian playfully explained in the interview. "Go over (time) a little bit. Let's not be insane. It could get out of control. I'll be sweating that, if some reason we find out (the honorees) just all become super, super nice Sunday night."

Contributing: Anna Kaufman, Erin Jensen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How much did Emmys host Nate Bargatze end up donating to Boys and Girls Club?

Reporting by Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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