HEARTBREAK

Desus and Mero Breakup Reportedly Caused by Management Disputes

The beloved comedy duo ended their Showtime series—and longtime relationship—over mounting disagreements about their representation.

More details about 2022’s most devastating breakup have come to light: Desus Nice and the Kid Mero, the beloved comics whose late-night series on Showtime—and creative partnership—came to an end this week, parted ways over management disputes. Puck News reported Thursday that, according to five separate sources with knowledge of the breakdown, Desus (né Daniel Baker) sided with Showtime when it came to dismissing the pair’s manager, Victor Lopez, in November. Lopez, according to Puck, “had been accused of asshole behavior, including bullying, screaming, and generally making people on the show feel bad.” But Mero (a.k.a. Joel Martinez) didn’t want to abandon Lopez, who had represented the Bodega Boys for years. The kerfuffle led to Desus and Mero quietly ending their podcast together, also in November. Mero, Puck reports, ended up leaving the duo’s lawyer and agent not long after that, before signing a new contract with WME on his own in February. Perhaps the worst of it all? “At the MLB’s All-Star Game’s celebrity softball exhibition last weekend… [Desu and Mero] arrived and participated in activities separately,” according to Puck. There’s no crying in baseball, but there is absolutely crying in softball. And now, the Bronx’s very best couple has split up into two solo acts.