The Desus and Mero breakup sounds like it was a pretty long time coming
The Kid Mero says that the Bodega Boys had conflicts going back to 2017
Aux News Mero
Ever since Showtime announced in July that not only had Desus & Mero come to an end but that Desus Nice and The Kid Mero were going their separate ways altogether, fans haven’t stopped speculating about what caused the Bodega Boys’ split. The Bronx-born duo’s rise from Twitter popularity to podcasting to hosting shows on Viceland and Showtime marked a new path to success made possible by the internet, and the breakup came as a significant blow to longtime followers.
In an interview with Blackbird Spyplane, Mero (aka Joel Martinez) offers up more details about what went down but also hints at deeper problems that have yet to be revealed. Some of the conversation is off the record, thanks to “Media-Training Mero,” and is recapped as “several minutes of candid talk about frustrations with Showtime executives and about fissures in his relationship with Desus going back to 2017" by the fashion newsletter. However, the comedian does clarify the duo’s terms with the network.
“When we signed to Showtime, we signed individual deals,” he says. “It was always, We’re gonna do our own things at some point. The way it ended seemed mad abrupt and weird, but that’s the way T.V. is. People pull the plug on T.V. s**t all the time.”
Some viewers speculated that the growing aspirations of “Hollywood Desus,” aka Daniel Baker, clashed with his co-star’s more raw, spontaneous approach. (While Desus recently took a more high-profile gig guest-hosting for Jimmy Kimmel Live, he described himself as “fired from Showtime” during his monologue.) Blackbird Spyplane asked Mero to weigh in on these rumors.
“There were people we thought could have helped us turn the show back to what it was at Vice, where it felt fresh and way more edgy—genuinely different and good,” he says. “And Showtime was not trying to do that. That was the beginning of the end. It was giving me mad anxiety, but I’m a first-generation immigrant kid, like, You never quit your job before you have a new one. But I think Desus was like, ‘F**k it.’ And that was the end of the podcast, too.”
While the interview does not address the previous report that the alleged “asshole behavior” of manager Victor Lopez led to Showtime axing the series, Mero does talk about his own ambitions, including reviving talks on a long-gestating sitcom co-created by Vampire Weekend singer Ezra Koenig; he has previously shown more of an interest in acting, appearing in the Netflix movie Vampires Vs. The Bronx. Of course, he was also asked about the possibility of a reunion with Desus.
“Never say never,” Mero says. “Right now I think we’re on different trajectories as far as what we wanna do.”
14 Comments
Lightning in a bottle.Some things aren’t meant to last, but at least we got to bear witness to their creativity as a duo.Ideally, they’ll grow their talents as individuals and team up when the time is right again…like Batman and Superman in World’s Finest.
I definitely get a Lennon/McCartney vibe from them. But who knows. I’m personally more partial to Mero’s comedic stylings, but Desus seems more poised for success.
Good call. Another pair of creatives who, at their most harmonious, created masterpieces but needed to go their separate ways to flourish as well.
My best friend in the world and I needed to spend a few years not talking to one another because we were legitimately bad for each other’s mental health for a while.I feel bad that they don’t see eye to eye anymore but I can absolutely understand that there are real reasons for it.
That’s great, I think it’s awesome when people are mature enough to act like adults and avoid unnecessary confrontation like that.
The fact that we had been roommates for a long time and kind of co-dependently fed into each other’s alcohol problems means that there were absolutely a few confrontations. But we really just both had to get to a better place on our own before we could really resume things.
How did you reconnect? My best friend and I ended our friendship this year after 23+ years. I don’t know what to do. I don’t think anything will change anytime soon and for that change to even start, we need to apologize to one another, but I don’t think now is the right time.
Basically just via email and IRC and the like at the time. We both had to get to a better place in our lives before we could do that without it periodically devolving into a fight.We didn’t really offer each other much in the way of specific apologies but we did both acknowledge that we both could have done better.
I approve of both this message and comparison. The Brand is forever strong.
Yawn
“People pull the plug on T.V. s**t all the time.”
No they don’t. They sure don’t pull the plug in between episodes of a current season. That’s fucking ridiculous.
I get it. My best friend and I of 23 years went our separate ways this year. While I’ve considered apologizing for the problems I caused, I doubt he’ll do the same and apologize for what he did. Even if we both do, I believe our friendship is irreparable. It was a LONG time coming, I’m talking about arguments from 5-6 years ago that finally spilled over.
Own you end no matter what. You always have to look in the mirror. Apologize for your end of what went wrong with zero expectatons. If the apologies are not reciprocated, don’t lash out. Move on. You did your part.You don’t want to wonder “what if” later in life. It might be best if you need to break from the friendship but clean your messes on the way out. I don’t suggest you should do this for the other person, I suggest doing it for your own mental health.
Banshees of Inisherin is actually an Irish adaptation of this story.