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Desus Nice
Desus Nice in June 2018
Birth nameDaniel Baker
Born (1981-05-18) May 18, 1981 (age 43)[1][failed verification]
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Medium
EducationCollege of Mount Saint Vincent
Years active2013–present
Genres
Subject(s)
Notable works and roles

Daniel Baker (born May 18, 1981), known professionally as Desus Nice (/ˈdiːzəs ˈnaɪs/), is an American television, YouTube, and Twitter personality.

He rose to prominence alongside The Kid Mero, with whom he worked as comedy partners for over a decade; they first collaborated on Complex TV's Desus vs. Mero podcast (2013–2014)[2][3][4] followed by their long-running Bodega Boys podcast (2015–2022). Beginning in 2016, he was the co-host of the talk shows Desus & Mero on Viceland and, subsequently, Desus & Mero on Showtime (2019–2022).[5]

Early life

[edit]

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

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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 co-hosted Desus & Mero, which premiered on February 21, 2019, on Showtime and ran until June 2022.[5]

In 2023 he was a guest host of The Daily Show.

Personal life

[edit]

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

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2013–2014 Desus vs. Mero Himself With The Kid Mero
2015 Guy Code
Joking Off
2015–2022 Bodega Boys
2015–2016 Uncommon Sense
2016–2018 Desus & Mero
2017 Neo Yokio Gottlieb (voice role)
2019–2022 Desus & Mero Himself
2022 The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder College KG Leibowitz-Jenkins (voice role) Episode: "When You Wish Upon a Roker"
The Captain Himself Sports documentary
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Himself (Guest host) Episode: August 15
2023 The Daily Show Himself (Guest host) Week of October 23[20]

References

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  1. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (February 4, 2019). "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. ^ a b Petski, Denise (November 29, 2018). "'Desus & Mero' Late-Night Show Gets February Premiere Date On Showtime". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. 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. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Notes from the Reading Life with Desus Nice and Rebecca Carroll at the Bronx Library Center, June 26, 2018, retrieved November 12, 2019
  9. ^ Desus Nice & The Kid Mero on Their Parents, Making Money & New Show, January 31, 2019, retrieved November 12, 2019
  10. ^ @chrislhayes (August 25, 2014). "@JCinMD @desusnice IS 181. Name was..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ Desus and Mero Take a Lie Detector Test | Vanity Fair, May 20, 2019, 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.
  20. ^ Tabrys, Jason (October 23, 2023). "Desus Nice On Reintroducing Himself To The World Via 'The Daily Show'". UPROXX. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
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