Just a week after Desus Nice and The Kid Mero announced their decision to part ways, further details surrounding the comedic duo’s split have come to light.
Last Thursday, Puck News reported that Desus and Mero’s creative partnership ended over management disputes, with five sources close to the situation telling the outlet that Showtime asked the duo’s manager, Victor Lopez, to “no longer attend tapings or appear in meetings” back in November.
Desus allegedly took Showtime’s side, as the network accused Lopez of “asshole behavior” that included “bullying, screaming, and making people on the show feel bad.” Meanwhile, Mero reportedly stood by Lopez.
Days after the report was published, Mero sat down with New York’s WFAN on Monday to discuss his and Desus’ break-up.
“It’s just natural progression,” Mero explained to WFAN host Keith McPherson. “It’s like we said on the podcast, ‘It’s Hollywood, baby.’ You develop strengths and things that you want to explore and do. And then things just happen naturally. It’s like Spike Jonze said on the Viceland show, ‘Everything is finite.’ What’s the corny cliche? Don’t be sad that it’s gone. Be happy that you experienced it.”
Mero went on to praise his co-host, suggesting that the pair’s decision to split was mutual.
“Everybody grows,” Mero said. “I’m sure D’s got his things that he wants to do. I got my things I want to do. And they’re very specific to us. We’ve been a duo for a long time. I love everything that he’s done. It’s just natural. I’ve got my life, my worldview, my things going on, and he’s got his. So it’s only right that, instead of just staying like, We’re only going to do this one thing, we explore. Let’s break out. Let’s see what we do as individuals, and then form like Voltron later on. Who knows?”
Hours after appearing on WFAN, Mero hopped on Twitch, where he poked fun at his “very political” answer to the split. In response to a user in the chat who asked about his well-being, Mero said, “I’m from outside. I’ve been through worse. Does it hurt? Yeah. But, you know what? We’re coming right back.”
While Mero hasn’t acknowledged Puck’ report, he did like a pair of tweets about his split from Desus having to do with their manager.
Mero’s comments arrive just a week after a rep for Showtime confirmed that Desus & Mero would be ending.
“Desus Nice and The Kid Mero will be pursuing separate creative endeavors moving forward,” the statement read. “SHOWTIME’s late-night talk show DESUS & MERO will not be returning for a fifth season. Its final episode aired Thursday, June 23.”
Shortly after the news broke, Desus took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the announcement, writing, “shouts to showtime & shouts to the hive, thanks for being part of the journey. proud of the show my staff made every episode. Big tings soon come….”