The Kid Mero
Joel Martinez (born May 15, 1983), professionally known as The Kid Mero, is a Dominican-American writer, comedian, TV personality, voice actor, YouTube personality, music blogger and Twitter personality. He rose to prominence alongside fellow Bronx native Desus Nice with their Complex TV 46-episode podcast Desus vs. Mero, which first premiered on December 18, 2013. As of season 5, he is a cast member of Guy Code with Desus Nice.[1][2] He was the co-host of Viceland's Desus & Mero talk show alongside Desus until June 2018, and currently co-hosts Desus & Mero which premiered on February 21, 2019 on Showtime.[3]
| The Kid Mero | |
|---|---|
 The Kid Mero at Malecon Restaurant in Washington Heights, New York City | |
| Birth name | Joel Martinez |
| Born | May 15, 1983 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Medium |
|
| Nationality | Dominican American |
| Education | Hunter College |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Genres | |
| Spouse | Heather Martinez |
| Children | 4 |
| Notable works and roles |
|
Early life & educationEdit
Mero was born in Washington Heights, Manhattan to Dominican immigrant parents, and the family moved to the Bronx when he was young.[4] Martinez is Afro-Latino and grew up speaking Spanish. His father and uncle wanted to name him "Romero," which is the origin of the moniker Mero.[4]
He realized he was talented at comedy from a young age but was not particularly interested in televised comedy or stand-up comedians growing up.[4][5]
Mero graduated from I.S. 117 in the Bronx. [4]
CareerEdit
Mero previously worked as a teaching aide at a school in The Bronx. He later began writing for Vice's music platform Noisey in 2012. His first article for them was published online on November 14, 2012; it was a review of Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles's album III.[6] In total, he wrote 69 articles for Noisey between November 2012 and March 2014, most of which were album and mixtape reviews, and all written in caps lock.[7]
In December 2014, MTV announced that The Kid Mero and Desus Nice would be joining the cast of Guy Code for season 5, along with 11 other new cast members.[8][9] They appeared on the first episode of season 5, which was originally aired on January 14, 2015.[10]
On August 30, 2016, Viceland announced Desus & Mero which premiered on October 17, 2016. The half-hour show ran Monday-Thursday, hosted by the Bronx-reared comedic duo.[11][12] Its finale aired on June 28, 2018. Mero currently co-hosts Desus & Mero which premiered on February 21, 2019 on Showtime.[3]
Personal lifeEdit
He lives in Fair Lawn, New Jersey[13] and is married to Heather Martinez, a teacher[14] from New Jersey. The pair have four children, three boys and a baby girl.[15][14]
FilmographyEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–2014 | Desus vs. Mero | Himself | Hosts along with Desus Nice |
| 2015 | Guy Code | Himself | Stars in along with Desus Nice |
| 2015 | Joking Off | Himself | Stars in along with Desus Nice |
| 2015–present | Bodega Boys | Himself | Stars in along with Desus Nice |
| 2015 | Uncommon Sense | Himself | Stars in along with Desus Nice |
| 2015 | Wild 'N Out | Himself | Stars in along with Desus Nice |
| TBD | New York Undercover: The BX Chronicles | Eddie Torres | Stars in along with Desus Nice |
| 2016–2018 | Desus & Mero | Himself | Hosts along with Desus Nice |
| 2017 | Neo Yokio | Lexy (voice) | Stars in along with Desus Nice |
| 2019–present | Desus & Mero | Himself | Hosts along with Desus Nice |
ReferencesEdit
- ^ How "Guy Code" Became A Comedy Breeding Ground. Fastcocreate.com (January 14, 2015). Retrieved on 2016-06-16.
- ^ A Conversation Between Itsthereal And The Kid Mero. Noisey.vice.com (April 2, 2013). Retrieved on 2016-06-16.
- ^ a b Petski, Denise (November 29, 2018). "'Desus & Mero' Late-Night Show Gets February Premiere Date On Showtime". Deadline. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Hughes, Jazmine (June 18, 2018). "How 'Desus & Mero' Conquered Late Night". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ "Desus And Mero Won Twitter. Now Their Bronx-Raised Genius Is Taking Over TV". The FADER. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ The Kid. (November 14, 2012) Crystal Castles – 'Iii'. Noisey.vice.com. Retrieved on 2016-06-16.
- ^ Articles by The Kid Mero. Noisey.vice.com. Retrieved on June 16, 2016.
- ^ ‘Guy Code’ Returns For Season 5 With 13 New Cast Members. Mtv.com (December 15, 2014). Retrieved on 2016-06-16.
- ^ The Kid Mero on MTV2's Guy Code. Vh1.com (February 9, 2016). Retrieved on 2016-06-16.
- ^ MTV2's Guy Code season 5. Mtv.com (February 9, 2016). Retrieved on 2016-06-16.
- ^ Viceland Sets Late-Night Talk Show, New Series Orders and Eddie Huang Renewal. Variety.com (August 30, 2016). Retrieved on 2016-09-12.
- ^ Viceland’s ‘Desus & Mero’ Gets Showrunner & Premiere Date. Deadline.com (September 26, 2016). Retrieved on 2016-11-29.
- ^ Amy Kuperinsky - NJ Advance Media for NJ com. "How N.J.'s The Kid Mero became one of the freshest voices in late-night TV". NJ.com. Posted: November 11, 2018 at 12:19 PM. Updated: November 12, 2018 at 01:43 PM.
- ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (March 31, 2013) Laughing at Rappers, Who Laugh Right Back. New York Times
- ^ Can Online Stars Desus vs. Mero Succeed IRL?. Vulture.com. Retrieved on June 16, 2016.