Nate Bargatze put a fresh spin on the Emmys awards show opening monologue by not doing a monologue at all. Instead, the comedian celebrated the majesty, mystery, and stupidity of television with a delightful opening sketch reminiscent of his popular “Washington’s Dream” skits on Saturday Night Live.
Rather than playing the founding father of the United States of America, Bargatze appeared as the founding father of TV, Philo T. Farnsworth. In his lab, he regaled his charges — played by SNL’s Bowen Yang, James Austin Johnson, and Mikey Day — with the endless possibilities of the new technology they were inventing.
“I dream that one day there will be a channel for every interest,” Bargatze said grandly, before going on to share what he envisioned: A “history channel” filled with shows about aliens, and a “learning channel” stuffed with programming about pimple poppers and hoarders.
Later in the bit, Bargatze quipped, “One day I dream there will be so many shows, we’ll have to invent another type of TV called streaming.” When Johnson’s character asked him to describe streaming, Bargatze replied, “A new way for companies to lose money.”
Nate Bargatze jokes that streaming is “a new way for these companies to lose money” during his #Emmys opening monologue pic.twitter.com/n9zVwbxTF0
— Variety (@Variety) September 15, 2025
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
After the first award of the night was given out, Bargatze returned to the stage. Not to deliver a monologue exactly, but to issue a stern warning to this year’s winners about adhering to the 45-second speech limit. Bargatze said he had made a $100,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, but he would not hesitate to deduct $1,000 from that total for each second a winner went over that time limit.
“That’s tough, it’s brutal,” Bargatze deadpanned. “What are you gonna do, though? I can’t change it — this is a game I made up and these are the rules.”
To sweeten the deal, though, Bargatze said that if speeches came in under the 45-second time limit, he would add $1,000-per-second back to the total. Still, the comedian cracked to any speed demons in the crowd, “Don’t go crazy, though, because I am paying for this. Some of you go over a little, some go under. Do the right thing.”
This is not only Bargatze’s first time hosting the Emmy Awards, but also the first time he’s hosted a major awards show. The stand-up comedian has been on an impressive tear the past few years, releasing acclaimed specials like 2021’s The Greatest Average American and last year’s Your Friend, Nate Bargatze. He’s also hosted two well-received episodes of Saturday Night Live and is set to make his film acting debut in next year’s The Breadwinner (which he also co-wrote).
In a recent interview on CBS Mornings, Bargatze said of preparing for the Emmys, “I’m used to performing in front of live people, not an audience like this of all the people that you know. So, it will be fun to get in there, get onstage, get that first joke, hear that first laugh, and then just get running and just really make your own of it.”
Along with serving as the night’s host, Bargatze is also nominated for two Emmy Awards this year: Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special, both for Your Friend, Nate Bargatze.
After hosting the Emmys, Bargatze will head right back on the road for his Big Dumb Eyes tour. He currently has a ton of stand-up dates across North America scheduled all the way through next August.
From Rolling Stone US
