The Bodega Hive was hit with devastating news on Monday when Showtime announced that Desus & Mero would be ending after four seasons. But this wasn't just the end of the late night TV series — the network also confirmed that Desus Nice (a.k.a. Daniel Baker) and The Kid Mero (a.k.a. Joel Martinez) were breaking up their partnership entirely.
"Desus Nice and The Kid Mero will be pursuing separate creative endeavors moving forward," Showtime said in a statement. They "have made a name for themselves in comedy and in the late-night space as quick-witted cultural commentators."
Desus Nice confirmed the breakup on Twitter as well.
It was news that their fan base had been dreading but expecting. Rumors began running wild in recent days that the duo, who first started working together on the Desus vs. Mero podcast in 2013, were on the outs. The buzz had reached a boiling point last weekend thanks to the Bodega Boys Daily Twitter fan account, which had pieced together several somewhat obscure public comments from both men in recent weeks.
"I thought maybe a couple hundred die-hard fans would see it and be upset … and that’s about it," said Rebecah Jacobs, 27, who runs the Bodega Boys Daily account. "Once I saw it spreading and their names trending on Twitter, I realized it had become a much bigger story and that they’d probably have to comment on it — but assumed that would just be a reply to my tweet and nothing super formal."
Jacobs, who now lives in Los Angeles, first started listening to Desus & Mero's Bodega Boys podcast while in college in New York City. "I worked at a sneaker store, and a couple of my coworkers there put me [onto] a few episodes into their podcast in 2015," she told Gothamist. "I had an hour subway ride to and from work every day, and listening to their outrageous conversations during my commute quickly became the highlight of my day."
The duo kept getting bigger and bigger, expanding beyond the podcasts into books (God-Level Knowledge Darts: Life Lessons From the Bronx) and the Showtime series (which started on Viceland). They made high-profile appearances shading Taylor Swift on the Tonight Show and feuding with the Breakfast Club's DJ Envy.
It only made their fan base even more passionate. "I think most of us feel like we grew with them and really value that," Jacobs said. "Their brand has always been so raw and uncensored, which makes fans feel like we’re chopping it up with friends in real life."
She started the Twitter fan account in 2017, initially in the hopes of getting hired to do social media for their podcast/show, but found she enjoyed interacting with other fans. (She is currently a copywriter at Fanatics’ brand Zerocool, which produces pop culture/entertainment trading cards.)
Jacobs first got an inkling that things weren't all well for Desus & Mero earlier this summer after Desus announced he would be guest-hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live! solo.
"Once I saw that, it registered that they’ve been doing more and more separately lately, which made me think something might be up," she said. "More recently, posting videos and pictures from their MLB All-Star Game appearance, I noticed them arriving separately and shooting a bunch of content on their own, so I figured there was some tension."
In June, the duo had just completed the fourth season of the Showtime series, which included interviews with former President Barack Obama, President Joe Biden, Derek Jeter, Missy Elliott, Denzel Washington and more.
She noted that she generally doesn't post rumors or gossip on the fan page, but "it got to a point where everything I posted was flooded with comments asking where the podcast was. So, when I saw that both Desus and Mero had commented on it with their public Twitter/Reddit accounts basically confirming it was over, I thought all the fans following me deserved to see that."
She was shocked when Showtime confirmed the breakup less than 24 hours later: "A couple years back they mentioned me and the page on their podcast, joking about Selena being killed by a former fan and comparing me to Yolanda Saldivar. That old joke is one of the first things I thought of," Jacobs said. "Obviously, I had nothing to do with the actual dissolution of the show or the podcast, but it’s pretty clear that they weren’t planning on making any announcements before my tweet went viral, so I felt responsible for all the publicity and for some people being unemployed."
Rebecah Jacobs (left); a magazine signed by Desus & Mero
Fans are now speculating about the exact reasons behind the split. Although she never ended up working for them directly, Jacobs has met both men several times over the years, and she says their connection seemed genuine, "so I can only assume their friendship going sour made it hard to fake on screen and on the podcast."
And in fact, Desus contacted her on Monday, a few hours after the show officially announced their split.
"Desus messaged me apologizing about the podcast and show ending so abruptly," she said. He told her that "he really tried to save things," she added, "but I think most of the fans are more upset about a real-life friendship being ruined rather than a podcast or a show ending."
For now, Jacobs plans to continue the Twitter account and cover their separate upcoming projects.
"Desus and Mero made a bunch of people feel good, which is the best legacy you can have," she said. "Laughter is harder and harder to come by these days, which makes their split that much sadder. But they’ve still been lighting up people’s lives for the better part of a decade ... For the most part I feel like we’re all rooting for Desus and Mero regardless of their split, whatever direction they go in."
