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Desus and Merohave plenty to be happy about these days.
Roll something up, crack a beer, and open upGod-Level Knowledge Darts.
Between the show and your podcast, you guys are used to a pretty off-the-cuff style.
But me and Mero work together so much that it wasnt hard.
Even though we werent in the same room, we were in the same room mentally.
Mero:I feel like we finished each others sentences, even when we werent simultaneously writing.
Desus:It was more like,Wow, were writing a book.
Weve had a lot of success in our careers, but we dont take anything for granted.
This is a real, actual book thats going to have a real ISBN.
Its going to be in libraries.
So, you know, its a chance to be remembered.
Desus:When you walk into the Random House office and you see the other books they publish.
Mero:Like Obama and all this crazy shit.
Youre like,Whoa.
Desus: Yeah, this is serious shit, okay?
Im turning into a bit of a book snob.
Im meeting other authors and Im like, Oh, you were published by who?
Oh, haha, sorry about that.
Random House gang, ah ah ah!
Me and Mero are getting Random House tattooed on our necks.
Thats how serious we are about this.
Simon and who!?
They dont want no smoke.
My mom is definitely feeling that way until she reads the part about drugs.
Sorry, New York Public Library.
Put some extra sensors in it.
Where did the idea for the book come from?Desus:It was a natural progression.
People love the podcast, love the TV show, and its the next medium.
You were snubbed by the Emmys.
How do you feel about it?
And do you feel like the Emmy voting bloc is racist?Mero:We know what it is.
Desus:I kind of enjoy it.
Its very on-brand for us because its like Hollywood saying, Hey, we dont rock with yall.
We dont need the recognition from outside.
We know what we bring to the streets.
Mero:Thats a fact.
Weve always been outsiders.
We dont put too much weight on that stuff.
But watching the show, listening to the podcast, reading this book, it got me through that.
Thats more valuable than any hardware than you could ever have.
Desus:But also add that the Emmys are anti-Black.
Youre two of a small group of late-night show hosts that are people of color.
That representation is super important.
You could be inspiring the next generation.
Desus:Being some of the only late-night hosts being people of color, its different.
Shout-outs to Trevor Noah.
Hes from South Africa he didnt grow up in America and experience police violence the way we have.
Weve been talking about Black Lives Matter since day one.
Thats an advantage we have, which I think is part of the reason people enjoy the show.
Mero:Theres no substitute for lived experience.
You laugh and then youre like,Shit, wait a minute.
Shout-out to Jimmy Kimmel, but what the hell does he know about stop and frisk?
We could do a two-hour special about all the times weve been stopped and frisked.
Youve gotten more political since moving to Showtime.
Was that a conscious decision?Desus:Definitely.
You see whats going on in the world and you have a platform.
People are out there suffering.
Were not reaching out to them.
Theyre realizing the influence we have and how powerful it would be to come on our show and talk.
And also, you dont want to turn a comedy show into fucking Tucker CarlsonsHardballor something.
Mero:Thats literally what it is, man.
We put these people on a platter and present them to you.
Do we have our political beliefs?
Yeah, no doubt.
But whoever the guest is Bernie Sanders,Elizabeth Warren,Kamala, whoever we let them speak.
Dont be Senator Whatever the Fuck.
Be yourself and show people who you really are.
Pandering is almost palpable.
If you came on here to spin a monologue, thats not what were here to do.
We had Fauci talking about the Brooklyn Dodgers like, Yo, youre from Brooklyn.
Why are you a Nats fan?
Thats what I feel sets us apart.
Youve risen to fame together.
[Both laugh.]
Its time to open a megachurch.
Mero, come with me.
Im going to get pierced and get the biggest hoop earring.
Ive fucked with a guy named Jim Jones.
He told me some things about it, and it should be a good look.
Mero:On some real shit, though, were lucky.
Not lucky we did the work.
Weve been telling our story for years, and look where were at.
That means that theres an audience for almost any person you could think of.
Dont think that you have to be George Clooney to pop.
I dont know why I said George Clooney.
He hasnt done anything in fucking years, except make tequila.
Mero:Its the Zeitgeist!
Trump might be like, Nah, Im not leaving.
Thats an awesomely washed reference.
Love it.Mero:Super washed.
Washed boys in the building tonight!
