Desus Nice

Daniel Baker (born May 18, 1981), known professionally as Desus Nice (/ˈdiːzəs ˈnaɪs/), is a Jamaican-American comedian and television, YouTube, and Twitter personality. He rose to prominence with Complex TV's Desus vs. Mero, which was a 46-episode podcast that was first released on December 18, 2013.[2][3][4] He was the co-host of Viceland's Desus & Mero talk show alongside The Kid Mero until June 2018, and currently co-hosts Desus & Mero which premiered on February 21, 2019 on Showtime.[5]

Desus Nice
Birth nameDaniel Baker
Born (1981-05-18) May 18, 1981[1]
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Medium
  • Television
  • Podcast
  • YouTube
NationalityJamaican-American
EducationCollege of Mount Saint Vincent
Years active2013–present
Genres
Subject(s)
Notable works and roles

Early life

Baker was born on May 18, 1981 in The Bronx, New York City to Jamaican immigrant parents.[6] He was raised in the Wakefield section of The Bronx with his three siblings.[7] Growing up, his mother was the senior librarian at the New York Public Library's Soundview Library branch.[8] His father is a landlord.[9]

Baker attended the nearby Pablo Casals Middle School in Co-op City, where he met Chris Hayes in the gifted program,[10] before going on to attend Herbert H. Lehman High School. He earned a degree in Literature from the College of Mount Saint Vincent.[8][11]

Baker enjoyed working with computers from a young age. His ability to fix his family's computer during his childhood earned him the nickname "Jesus," which he changed to Desus to reflect his first name.[12]

He worked several jobs before joining Black Enterprise as a small business columnist, where he remained until 2014 before leaving to pursue a career in television.[13]

Career

In December 2014, MTV announced that Desus Nice and The Kid Mero would be joining the cast of Guy Code for season 5, along with eleven other new cast members.[14][15] They appeared on the first episode of season 5 which aired on January 14, 2015. After building a relationship with MTV and MTV2, Desus and Mero appeared on other shows including Uncommon Sense and Joking Off.[16]

On September 12, 2015, Desus along with co-host The Kid Mero released the first episode of their Bodega Boys podcast. They recorded their comedic takes on all things pop culture weekly at Red Bull Studios New York for several years before making the move to the "jam room" in Milk Studios.

On August 30, 2016, Viceland announced Desus & Mero which premiered on October 17, 2016. The half-hour show ran Monday through Thursday hosted by the Bronx-reared comedic duo.[17][18] Its finale aired on June 28, 2018. Desus currently co-hosts Desus & Mero which premiered on February 21, 2019 on Showtime.[5]

Personal life

As of 2020, Baker lives in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx.[19]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2013–2014 Desus vs. Mero Himself With The Kid Mero
2015 Guy Code
Joking Off
2015–present Bodega Boys
2015–2016 Uncommon Sense
2016–2018 Desus & Mero
2017 Neo Yokio Gottlieb (voice role)
2019–present Desus & Mero Himself

References
  1. Vozick-Levinson, Simon. "Out to Lunch With Desus and Mero, Comedy's Bronx Bombers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  2. How "Guy Code" Became A Comedy Breeding Ground. Fastcocreate.com (January 14, 2015). Retrieved on 2016-09-07.
  3. A Conversation Between Itsthereal And The Kid Mero. Noisey.vice.com (April 2, 2013). Retrieved on 2016-09-07.
  4. Desus & Mero Talk About New Show "Joking Off" And How They Met! Archived July 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Hollywire. July 8, 2015
  5. Petski, Denise (November 29, 2018). "'Desus & Mero' Late-Night Show Gets February Premiere Date On Showtime". Deadline. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  6. Desus & Mero Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions (video). Wired. September 21, 2020. 8:08-8:57 minutes in. Where do I live? It's no big deal – the greatest borough in the world in the greatest city in the wold – BX all day! [I was] born here. My parents came here from Jamaica [and] landed in the Bronx... [on East 233rd Street].
  7. "Desus Nice on Instagram: "Came here to America with nothing. Put 4 kids thru college while earning her masters degree. Refuses to accept boney goat meat. Shouts to…"". Instagram. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  8. Notes from the Reading Life with Desus Nice and Rebecca Carroll at the Bronx Library Center, retrieved November 12, 2019
  9. Desus Nice & The Kid Mero on Their Parents, Making Money & New Show, retrieved November 12, 2019
  10. https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/503723372938022912
  11. Desus and Mero Take a Lie Detector Test | Vanity Fair, retrieved November 16, 2019
  12. Hughes, Jazmine (June 18, 2018). "How 'Desus & Mero' Conquered Late Night". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  13. Weiner, Jonah How Desus and Kid Mero Went From Twitter Cranks to Comedy's Hottest Duo Rolling Stone. July 8, 2015
  14. ‘Guy Code’ Returns For Season 5 With 13 New Cast Members. Mtv.com (December 15, 2014). Retrieved on 2016-09-07.
  15. The Kid Mero on MTV2's Guy Code. Vh1.com (February 9, 2016). Retrieved on 2016-09-07.
  16. zmtv.com/shows/guy_code/video/full-episodes/ MTV2's Guy Code season 5 Archived April 11, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  17. Viceland Sets Late-Night Talk Show, New Series Orders and Eddie Huang Renewal. Variety.com (August 30, 2016). Retrieved on 2016-09-12.
  18. Viceland’s ‘Desus & Mero’ Gets Showrunner & Premiere Date. Deadline.com (September 26, 2016). Retrieved on 2016-11-29.
  19. Eric Andre on High/Low Comedy of ‘Legalize Everything’ | Ext. Interview | DESUS & MERO | SHOWTIME (video). July 24, 2020. Event occurs at 13:58-14:19.
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