The self-proclaimed “No. 1 show in late night” is no more.
This week, it was announced that Desus Nice and The Kid Mero—who comprise the comedy duo Desus & Mero—were going their separate ways, marking the end of a riotously funny decade-long creative partnership.
“Desus Nice and The Kid Mero will be pursuing separate creative endeavors moving forward. Showtime’s late-night talk show Desus & Mero will not be returning for a fifth season. Its final episode aired Thursday, June 23,” read Showtime’s statement.
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Since the buzzy series ended partway through its fourth season, and Desus and Mero gave the appearance of being close pals on and off-screen, their dedicated legion of fans was left speculating as to what may have caused the split. But one thing is certain: There is now a gaping hole in the predominately white, predominately uncool late-night lineup.
Desus & Mero were trailblazers in every sense of the word: Black and Afro-Latino fellas from the Bronx who clowned and hustled their way to stardom, first with their eponymous Complex podcast in 2013, then the MTV2 reality series Guy Code. The popular Bodega Boys pod, which launched in 2015, followed by their late-night show on Viceland, made them East Coast fixtures. But it was the Showtime series, starting in 2019, that turned the gifted gabbers into full-blown celebrities, interviewing everyone from Barack Obama to Denzel Washington and, in Desus’ case, taking trips to Iceland and attending celebrity weddings with Anna Kendrick. They were, in this writer’s opinion, the most hilarious dudes in late night who always made it feel like you were with your boys, cracking jokes about the day’s most ridiculous trending topics over many rounds of drinks.
Though Desus & Mero are over (for now), they’ve left behind a treasure trove of memorable late-night moments.
Here are some of the best.
BERNIE SANDERS IS APPALLED
Bernie Sanders—ex-presidential candidate, senator from Vermont, and celebrated curmudgeon—has done loads of interviews, but none were as sidesplitting as that time he sat down with Desus & Mero at an ice cream shop in Carroll Gardens to guess the prices of high-end sneakers. The look of pure disgust on Sanders’ face when he realizes the cost of these kicks is a thing of beauty and went predictably viral.
EVERYBODY IN THE 313
This early clip from their Viceland show saw Mero unleashing his spot-on Eminem impression and the duo relentlessly mocking a house party (or was it a burglary?) in Detroit that saw squatters lay waste to a home. But it’s Mero comparing the reporter to the Chief from Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? that had everyone in stitches.
A RIVALRY FOR THE AGES
When The Breakfast Club co-host DJ Envy took issue with a throwaway comment Desus made about his wife after the two appeared on The Real to discuss Envy’s getting caught cheating, a feud erupted that saw the two comedians ripping into a man they nicknamed “the Bisquick Bandit.” Never a good idea to start a war with two of the biggest roastmasters around who’ve got nothing to lose.
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
In addition to their vendetta against DJ Envy, Desus & Mero had a weakness for ridiculing DJ Akademiks, a Joe Budden yes man who is not really a DJ, and noted snitch Tekashi 6ix9ine. When 6ix9ine made his first much-ballyhooed appearance on The Breakfast Club, the duo took aim at all three targets. Their giddy mockery of 6ix9ine struggling to tread water in an ill-fitting life jacket will send you through the roof.
TRACY MORGAN RAW & UNCENSORED
Tracy Morgan is always a game interviewee, but the former SNL and 30 Rock star took it to a whole other level when he sat down with Desus & Mero. After emotionally dispensing some life lessons, Morgan ended the chat in full-on chaos mode, listing off his favorite sexual fetishes. Come for him describing the area between the butthole and vagina as a “bridge over troubled water,” and stay for the time he purchased a glass coffee table so his ex-wife could do you know what on top of it.
UNFORESEEN CHEMISTRY
Another great late-night guest is John Mulaney, who regularly regales his hosts with clever bits. But during his appearance on the Showtime series, the comedian left all that aside in favor of bantering with Desus & Mero about everything from the Bulls vs. Knicks to Michael Bloomberg to the New York City subway system. Behold three comedy geniuses at work.
THE LOLLIPOP GUILD
Desus & Mero also displayed a gift for embarrassing right-wing culture-war grifters, including Charlie Kirk and Ben Shapiro. Their brutal roast of Shapiro reciting the lyrics to the Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion hit “WAP” is one for the ages, as the duo branded the diminutive troll “the head person of The Lollipop Guild.”
TAYLOR SWIFT
One of the finest displays of Desus & Mero’s indelible chemistry came during their appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where the two played a guessing game together. Just watch, enjoy, and peep the look of shock on Charlize Theron’s face.
DENZEL THE GOD
The fourth—and final—season of their Showtime series saw Desus & Mero go out in style, interviewing Samuel L. Jackson, Pusha T, Jeff Bridges, and their idol Derek Jee-tah. But they kicked it all off with one of their most distinguished guests yet: Denzel Washington. And the screen legend has never seemed more comfortable in an interview, letting his guard down and messing around with the guys as though they were his buddies from back home. A true joy to watch.
