All good things must come to an end. Yesterday, June 28, Desus Nice and the Kid Mero, possibly the most revolutionary comedy duo the world has ever known, taped the final episode of their Viceland show Desus & Mero. They will move to Showtime, where there weekly show will debut in 2019.
Its been a long road to the top for the duo, who by now have solidified their status as one of the most celebrated comedy outfits in the country. They joined four years ago at the behest of Complex producer Donnie Kwok—then, Kid Mero was a teacher’s assistant at a Bronx public school and Desus was a lowly business journalist. Kwok realized that their respect Twitter savant-ism may translate to strong comedic chemistry. A podcast become a webshow, became guest spots on MTV2, became the podcast Bodega Boys (still going strong 114 episodes in), which finally led to the show which launched them to geniune stardom—Desus & Mero.
America has fallen in love with their razor-sharp, Bronx-centric banter and devastatingly strong roast hand, and it will miss them dearly in the interim between Desus & Mero and the forthcoming Showtime show. Whether or not you are familiar with Desus & Mero, revisit some of the most indelible moments from their Complex show, podcast, and Viceland show.
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1. The Struggle Rapper DvM Episode
Desus and Mero spent one entire, iconic episode of DvM roasting a series of minor league rappers flexing unconvincingly in their music videos.
Extream Bling: "If Flo Rida’s mother drank mad Devil’s Springs while she was pregnant, she would have given birth to this n---a."
Tommy B: “Here comes the Drake of Phoenix." “You can’t have a crew and everyone in your crew has health insurance. That’s not scary.”
E-Reign: “He’s trying to make us think that he’s rich, but he’s one of those dudes that sometimes get on the LIRR and hides in the bathroom so he doesn’t have to pay.”
B-Brixx: “Kidz Bop DJ Khaled. We depressed!”
2. Peak Caucacity
D&M coined the term "caucacity" to describe any ill-advised shenanigans perpetrated by white folk. Instances of Peak Caucacity include (but not limited to): going into the hood and picking fights, smoking "goat uterus-infused hash", and rioting at the New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival. "Running out of pumpkins was white people's Mike Brown getting shot," Desus mused.
3. Predicting Caitlyn Jenner's Gender Transition
Desus and Mero predicted Caitlyn Jenner's gender transition over a year before she revealed that she identified as a trans woman.
"I think [Kendall's] dad is becoming a female," Desus quipped. He and Mero then proceed to roast Jenner, possibly already in the process of transitioning, for excessive plastic surgery.
"What is your nose made out of? This n---a's nose is made out of hot dog skin, fam," Mero asked.
"His looks like delicious chipotle chicken," Desus chimed in. "You'd be like, 'Can I get more?'"
They wished her the best of luck on her transition. "Be free, dawg. Continue to cook, fam." Mero said.
4. Ben Barson
Famed surgeon, former presidential candidate, and current HUD secretary Ben Carson has taken a backseat in the zeitgeist to the xan-popping, draco-wielding, Big Pun-quoting Ben Barson, who appears exclusively on Desus & Mero’s podcast and television show. Barson’s finest moment came in the intro to Ep. 51 of the Bodega Boys, in which he told the story of a home invasion that resulted in the violent death of a masked Donald Trump.
“I’m in my crib,” Barson recalled. “[My wife] Candy is whipping up some yams in the kitchen with her titties out. I hear someone knock at the door. I'm in the middle of replacing an iguana cerebellum with that of a gopher. I’m very enrapt….”
5. Michael Sal Anthony
In recent months, Mero has expanded his roster of Italian impressions— Officer Prosciutto, Anthony Scaramucci, Mike Francesca— to include the imcomparable Michael Sal Anthony, a young Italian man living in his parents’ basement in New Jersey, addicted to heroin. Michael typically sleeps in until 2:30 PM, yells up to his mom to cook him pizza rolls like Will Ferrell in Wedding Crashers and Eric Cartman in the World of Warcraft episode of South Park, and gets mad when she threatens to hide the all-important Narcan. “My mom is a fucking bitch, my dad is a fucking pig. I can’t stand them. They’re garbage.”
6. The New York Bible
The Bible pales in comparison to the New York Bible reenacted by Desus and Mero.
God: "Don't play with me."
Adam: "Yo, wanna smoke some weed and eat these fucking apples, B, fuck this n---a, man, he pussy."
Noah's wife: "It's gonna OD rain... are your Timbs waterproof?"
Noah: "My Pelle Pelle is velour, I don't need this."
7. Commentary on Migos v. Joe Budden Showdown
The hilarious miscommunication between DJ Akademiks and Takeoff during an interview on the red carpet of last year's BET Awards (followed by Joe Budden unceremoniously cutting the interview short and sparking a confrontation with the Migos) quickly took the internet by storm. Memes aplenty. D&M bravely waded into the scrum, primarily to take shots at Akademiks, who is evidently a lover, not a fighter.
8. Iconic Interviews
Desus & Mero's clout levels are not the only thing that has skyrocketed over the last two years. Their interviewing skills have improved, as has the quality of their guests. They got J Prince in the midst of the Drake-Pusha T beef. They got Diddy. They got future president Kirsten Gillibrand. The Erykah Badu and Esperanza Spalding interviews were awkward AF. David Arquette was underrated.
9. The DJ Envy Beef
DJ Envy took one of the biggest Ls of 2018 when, during an interview with Desus & Mero on the Breakfast Club, he demanded they apologize for an innocent comment made about his wife, after Envy had cheated on her. Desus apologized; minutes later Envy stormed out of the interview. #BeigeRage. Desus and Mero dedicated the entire A-block of their next show to roasting the shit out of Envy.
10. The DJ Akademiks Beef
They also roasted the shit out of DJ Akademiks. Tears were shed... by Akademiks.