Shanice Harris

I am not upset...honestly I’m not. The Bodega Boys newest iteration of their late-night show is only in its fifth month, so I get it. These things take time. But any excuse to sing praises to Desus (aka The Ghost of Mufasa) and Mero (The Dominican Don Dada), I will gladly partake.

Now to be clear...f*ck the Emmys. I mean, not in a disrespectful way...I’m just saying. Bronx’s own don’t need an Emmy to validate their impact on the culture and how much they mean to the #BodegaHive. But as a human who has been invested in the brand for as long as I have, the boys deserve their things.

If you aren’t familiar, Desus and Mero first started their transcend from Twitter personalities to dominators of television in 2014. Complex Media—based in New York—recruited the Bronxites after seeing their interactions on Twitter. The audio-only podcast soon made its transition to video. Not long after came a stint on MTV2, a highly-successful Viceland show, and then their current late-night iteration, Desus and Mero, on Showtime (Mondays and Thursdays at 11/10c). That doesn’t even include their consistently-funny podcast, Bodega Boys, that they record every week at Milk Studios, located in the meatpacking district of NYC.

In a matter of five years, two guys from the Bronx went from sharing a metrocard to get to work, to becoming a true force in the indistinguishable late-night landscape. Their pre-show banter—available on their Youtube page—is just as funny as the bits that actually make the cut for TV. They effortlessly go from quipping on their show producer, Julia Young, to going on a five-minute rant about how rude Peppa Pig is...all while wearing their signature Yankees hats and Bodega Boys merch.

It’s fresh, it’s new, it’s...different. And not the way most publications describe the newest reprise of a late-night or daytime talk show. You feel like you know them, even if it truly is just what they present to us.

So...as a message to the Television Academy for the 2020 Emmy Nominations: Desus and Mero are well-deserving of that golden angel statue thingy. It’s smart, it’s witty, it’s relatable, and most importantly it’s entertaining. And if you don’t think so...SMDFTB *Mero voice*.

Until next time…

Shanice