Desus & Mero Say Viceland Cut Their Contract Short Because They Were Leaving

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Desus and The Kid Mero attend the 2017 NBA Awards live on TNT on June 26, 2017 in New York, New York

Desus & Mero put VICELAND on blast.

If you're like me, you're probably wondering where you're going to get your late-night hot takes on politics, pop culture and sports now that Desus & Mero's show on Viceland ended. The duo confirmed that they signed a new deal with Showtime for a weekly late night show which is expected to air in 2019. However, they recently revealed that they actually their contract with VICELAND cut short by two months after announcing their deal with Showtime.

Desus & Mero spoke to Bossip after a show in Atlanta and revealed some information pertaining to their decision to leave VICELAND. Desus revealed that they the network cut their contract short because they were "in their feelings."

"Can I just be messy off the rip right now?" He said, "Vice has us for 2 more months… we did not leave Vice, Vice ended our contract. They were in their feelings because we were leaving.”

He added, Viceland wanted 160 episodes a year... We have no writers, it’s literally me and Mero talking to one another every day. If you want us to do this for 160 episodes, pay us 160 million dollars—otherwise we would have killed each other.”

Desus claimed that the two of them were asked to not take days off because it would result in no ratings for the network. Mero added that VICELAND's schedule for them began to interfere with the time he spent with his kids. 

"As a dad, you wanna be around for milestones for like graduations, birthdays…and it’s obnoxious to have to be like, ‘I can’t go to my kid’s graduation because we leave the studio at 3 o’clock and the graduation is at 4.'" Mero said. “The channel wanted us to die for this f**king network. We’re also the highest rated show on the network, put some respect on our name, have someone come massage my feet.”

It's unfortunate for the duo but clearly, they're excited for the next chapter of their careers.


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.