The Kid Mero (real name Joel Martinez), one of the biggest entertainers from the Bronx, is working to bring up the next generation of new talent — coming from unexpected places.
“There’s a dude right now in some random country, town — spin the globe, point a finger, and there’s a guy who’s the most brilliant biochemist of our time. And he’s just sitting in a tree reading a book, because he doesn’t have access,” said Mero in an interview with the Bronx Times. “And that’s what I think the Bronx needs more of too — access. And if I can do that, I would love to be the guy to spearhead that.”
While Mero and his wife, Heather, are now raising their four kids, ages 13, 11, 9 and 7, in what he called a “super suburban” New Jersey neighborhood, he never fully left the Bronx, remaining committed to uplifting the borough and the talented people within it.
Mero is best known for his work with Desus Nice (real name Daniel Baker), a fellow Bronxite who was his comedy partner for nearly a decade. Desus and Mero’s authentic perspectives hilariously embodied New York City culture.
Their first podcast, “Desus vs. Mero,” first launched in 2013 and later became the “Bodega Boys” pod, which turned into television with shows on Viceland and Showtime, where they interviewed fellow Bronx native U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and celebrities including David Letterman, Spike Lee, Derek Jeter and Denzel Washington. In 2020, Desus and Mero published a New York Times bestselling book, “God-Level Knowledge Darts: Life Lessons from the Bronx” (with his sections written in his signature ALL CAPS style).
But alas, in 2022, the duo went their separate ways, and fans still aren’t over it. But Mero remains a Bronx Dominican-American superstar who keeps us up-to-date on new talent and laughing along the way — with more big things coming soon for him and his team.
Mero is currently between seasons of “Victory Light,” a podcast he…
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