John Oliver had some choice words to add to the swear jar at this year’s Emmys.
After winning the Emmy for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series on Sunday night, he sped through his acceptance speech in a way that only he could.
“Thanks to HBO, especially thanks to Casey [Bloys] and Elana [Loewenthal], thank you to our staff especially,” he said, breathlessly, as said staffers joined him on stage. Oliver also thanked his wife and children before getting a little less family friendly.
Though it was bleeped in the broadcast, according to reports in the room, Oliver then said, “F— you Nate Bargatze, that is a lot of money for you,” referring to the awards show’s host and comedian. “You can add a f— to the swear jar as well,” he joked.
“That’s got to be enough…. Thank you, good bye,” he concluded before rushing off the stage.
The jokes and speedy speech, of course, are a likely result of Bargatze’s ongoing bit during Sunday’s telecast, which he previously teased during a visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday. The comedian revealed at the time that he plans to donate $100,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America after the awards ceremony; however, the exact contribution amount will depend on whether the various winners go over or under their allotted time for speeches, in an effort to keep the speeches from being too long.
“Everybody gets 45 seconds to do all the thank-yous,” Bargatze explained to Kimmel. “So what I came up with is I’m going to donate $100,000 to the Boys & Girls Club… That’s what the show’s starting at. When everybody uses their 45 seconds, if someone goes over, we take away $1,000 a second every time they go over.”
But, he added, “If you go under, we will put a $1,000 back on — so you can give it back!”
True to his word, on Sunday night, Bargatze explained the rules to the audience gathered at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, who reacted with a mix of laughter and shock. Some, like Oliver and Seth Rogen, seemed stressed while on stage to keep things short. Some offered to donate their own money for going over, and still others just took their time.
Bargatze provided updates throughout the night, making jokes as the number went up and down. As of press time, it remains to be seen how much money is being donated.
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Bargatze was nominated for three Creative Arts Emmys earlier this year for his 2024 comedy special Your Friend, Nate Bargatze. In addition to serving as host of the main Emmys show, he’s also nominated for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special for the same special.
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