Desus Nice Explained

Desus Nice
Birth Name:Daniel Baker
Birth Date:18 May 1981[1]
Birth Place:The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Active:2013–present
Education:College of Mount Saint Vincent

Daniel Baker (born May 18, 1981), known professionally as Desus Nice, 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

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. His father is a landlord.

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

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.[9]

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.[10]

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.[11] [12] 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.[13]

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.[14] [15] 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

As of 2020, Baker lives in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx.[16]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2013–2014Desus vs. MeroHimselfWith The Kid Mero
2015Guy Code
Joking Off
2015–2022Bodega Boys
2015–2016Uncommon Sense
2016–2018Desus & Mero
2017Neo YokioGottlieb (voice role)
2019–2022Desus & MeroHimself
2022College KG Leibowitz-Jenkins (voice role)Episode: "When You Wish Upon a Roker"
The CaptainHimselfSports documentary
Jimmy Kimmel Live!Himself (Guest host)Episode: August 15
2023The Daily ShowHimself (Guest host)Week of October 23[17]

Notes and References

  1. Vozick-Levinson . Simon . Out to Lunch With Desus and Mero, Comedy's Bronx Bombers . Rolling Stone . February 4, 2019 . 13 May 2019.
  2. http://www.fastcocreate.com/3040940/how-guy-code-became-a-comedy-breeding-ground How "Guy Code" Became A Comedy Breeding Ground
  3. http://noisey.vice.com/blog/a-conversation-between-itsthereal-and-the-kid-mero A Conversation Between Itsthereal And The Kid Mero
  4. http://www.hollywire.com/2015/03/desus-mero-talk-about-new-show-joking-and-how-they-met Desus & Mero Talk About New Show "Joking Off" And How They Met!
  5. Web site: Petski . Denise . 'Desus & Mero' Late-Night Show Gets February Premiere Date On Showtime . . March 19, 2019 . November 29, 2018.
  6. Desus & Mero Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions. September 21, 2020. video. Wired. 8:08-8:57. "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. Web site: 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…". https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BgFmCbsBBZE . December 24, 2021 . registration. Instagram. en. 2019-11-12.
  8. 503723372938022912. chrislhayes. @JCinMD @desusnice IS 181. Name was.... August 25, 2014.
  9. News: How 'Desus & Mero' Conquered Late Night. Hughes. Jazmine. 2018-06-18. The New York Times. 2019-05-14. en-US. 0362-4331.
  10. Weiner, Jonah How Desus and Kid Mero Went From Twitter Cranks to Comedy's Hottest Duo Rolling Stone. July 8, 2015
  11. https://web.archive.org/web/20141226001015/http://www.mtv.com/news/2026370/guy-code-season-5-new-members/ ‘Guy Code’ Returns For Season 5 With 13 New Cast Members
  12. https://web.archive.org/web/20150215033136/http://www.vh1.com/celebrities/kid-mero/#cast=guy_code The Kid Mero on MTV2's Guy Code
  13. http://www. zmtv.com/shows/guy_code/video/full-episodes/ MTV2's Guy Code season 5
  14. https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/viceland-desus-and-mero-late-night-eddie-huang-1201848032/ Viceland Sets Late-Night Talk Show, New Series Orders and Eddie Huang Renewal
  15. https://deadline.com/2016/09/desus-mero-premiere-date-desus-nice-the-kid-mero-bodega-boys-viceland-1201826429/ Viceland’s ‘Desus & Mero’ Gets Showrunner & Premiere Date
  16. Eric Andre on High/Low Comedy of 'Legalize Everything' Ext. Interview DESUS & MERO SHOWTIME. July 24, 2020. video. 13:58-14:19.
  17. Web site: Jason . Tabrys . 2023-10-23 . Desus Nice On Reintroducing Himself To The World Via 'The Daily Show' . 2023-10-25 . UPROXX . en-US.