Nate Bargatze talks about his comedy style as he prepares to host Emmys: “Just do you”

Comedian Nate Bargatze sold more than 1.2 million tickets to his “The Be Funny Tour” last year, making him the highest-grossing comedian in the country. Now, he’s taking on a new challenge: Hosting the 77th Emmy Awards on CBS.

“This is the first I’m thinking about it, was this week,” the 46-year-old jokingly said about his preparation for Sunday’s show. 

He described his comedy style, saying while there will be jokes about the shows, it will be done “in a way that is not mean.”

“I was like trying to think of like how, which way you want to go and it’s like … even we’ve had stuff written that I think was a little more roast stuff and then it’s like after you think about it a couple of days, I’m like ‘nah let’s go back another way.’ We have some fun stuff though that’s planned,” Bargatze told “CBS Mornings.”

The stand-up comedian has also previously hosted Saturday Night Live.

“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 on stage, get that first joke, hear that first laugh and then just get running and just really make your own of it.”

Bargatze said he’s honored and excited to host the awards show, saying, “you kind of dream of like hosting some kind of award show … it’s very flattering to even get asked to do it.”

As for who he’s relied on to help him prepare, Bargatze named several top comedians who gave him some tips.

“I talked to Conan about it. Everybody is just kind of like you just have to do you. It’s hard to take exact advice – but like Colbert, Fallon, I talked to Lorne Michaels a little bit about it. You just kind of take it all in … but it all comes back to like just do you. Do what you know to do,” he said.

The 77th Emmy Awards air Sunday Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.