The 2025 Primetime Emmy Award ceremony isn’t for another five months, but in a very workmanlike manner, CBS already has a host lined up. And, it’s something of a surprise. Today, the Television Academy and CBS have revealed that comedian Nate Bargatze will host this year’s ceremony.
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For most of the 21st Century, the Emmys emcee has been tied to the rotating broadcast network that year. For instance, the last time CBS was the official network, in 2021, Cedric the Entertainer was the host. Cedric was part of the CBS “family” with his sitcom The Neighborhood. In 2017, CBS selected its late-night talk show host, Stephen Colbert, to emcee. This selection process took a turn last year when ABC and The Television Academy chose “Schitt’s Creek” Emmy winners Eugene and Dan Levy to handle the 2024 ceremony.
In a statement, Television Academy chair Cris Abrego remarked, “Nate is one of the hottest comics in the business with a remarkable and hilarious brand of comedy that deeply resonates with multi-generational audiences around the globe. We are thrilled to be able to leverage his one-of-a-kind perspective to entertain TV fans watching this year’s Emmy telecast.”
Bargatze added, “It’s a huge honor to be asked to host such an iconic awards show and I’m beyond excited to work with CBS to create a night that can be enjoyed by families around the world.”
The “families” comment is somewhat strange as few “families” watch the Emmys, but it signals how much of a “safe” and, debatably, “non-political” selection Bargatze is. Known as a “clean comedian,” his brand of humor has been increasingly popular as he was reportedly the no. 1 comedy tour in the United States in 2024 with 1.2 million tickets sold.
The Nashville native has never ventured into the comedy series realm, but has hosted “Saturday Night Live” twice over the past three years. He also has three standup specials on Netflix and one on Prime Video. His most recent, “Your Friend, Nate Bargatze,” dropped on Netflix last year.
Additionally, the Television Academy revealed the nominations for the 2025 Emmys will be announced on Tuesday, July 15, streaming live at a reasonable 8:30 AM PT on Emmys.com.
The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards will be broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+ on Sunday, September 14.