The Kid Mero has given fans some additional insight into the decision to bring his and Desus’ years-long creative partnership to a close.
In an interview this week for Doug Herzog and Jen Chaney’s Basic! podcast, Mero was asked about the split, which had been preceded by speculation among fans of the duo’s multiple projects together including their Bodega Boys podcast and (most recently) the Desus & Mero Showtime series.
“Desus and I had discussed pursuing separate interests for over a year prior to the show coming to an end,” Mero explained. “And that conversation solidified for us in signing over all agreements that recognized our intent to operate independent of one another, right? So as far back as June of last year we were both pitching or looking to join existing projects as individuals. … It was a strategy and it was one that we all agreed on.”
Later, Mero noted the importance of acknowledging “a natural end” in such partnerships, particularly when it comes to protecting the fan experience.
“If you have to force a partnership that’s coming to a natural end, it’s not going to be the same,” he said, connecting this to what spurred discussions between himself and Desus.
“We had a sit-down and we were talking about it more than a year ago, so the intent was to go our separate ways in a way that was supportive of each other,” he said.
Asked if this represented a difficult decision for them both, Mero agreed it was “obviously’ a hard move. However, he pointed out, “you gotta recognize that it’s winding down.”
Elsewhere, Mero looked back on his career, including the outpouring of love he and Desus received once word of the split became public. He also teased what will be next for him in this new chapter, which sounds like it will see Mero taking a writing-focused approach.
“Features, series, books, you name it,” he said.
For the full discussion, listen here.
Mero previously spoke on the split during a WFAN chat last month, striking a similar tone by calling the move simply a “natural progression” after he and Desus both began to grow toward other things they wanted to explore as individuals.
In a statement shared earlier that month, a Showtime rep confirmed that Desus and Mero would both be “pushing separate creative endeavors moving forward,” thus making the June 23 episode of their series on the network the final entry in the show’s canon.