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)How "Guy Code" Became A Comedy Breeding Ground
Fastcocreate.com (January 14, 2015). Retrieved on 2016-09-07. 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 Viceland (stylized in all caps; also known as Vice TV in the United States) is a brand used for television channels owned and programmed by Vice Media. The brand launched on February 29, 2016, with two cable channels in North America. The Vice ...

and, subsequently, '' Desus & Mero'' on Showtime (2019–2022).

Early life

Baker was born on May 18, 1981, in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, to Jamaican immigrant parents. He was raised in the Wakefield section of The Bronx with his three siblings. 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, 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. 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.Weiner, Jona
How Desus and Kid Mero Went From Twitter Cranks to Comedy's Hottest Duo
''Rolling Stone''. July 8, 2015

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. 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.'' 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,

announced '' Desus & Mero'' which premiered on October 17, 2016. The half-hour show ran Monday through Thursday hosted by the Bronx-reared comedic duo. 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. 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 The South Bronx is an area of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desus American male comedians Living people American people of Jamaican descent Comedians from the Bronx University of Mount Saint Vincent alumni 1981 births Late night television talk show hosts Writers Guild of America Award winners People from Wakefield, Bronx African-American male comedians African-American comedians