Desus and Mero Tapped to Host 2019 Television Critics Association Awards

Desus Nice and The Kid Mero in DESUS & MERO. - Photo: Micaiah Carter/SHOWTIME
Micaiah Carter/SHOWTIME

The Television Critics Association (TCA) is going for laughs by announcing on Wednesday that comedy duo Desus and Mero, hosts of Showtime’s Desus and Mero, will be hosts of the 2019 TCA Awards this August.

The 35th annual awards show, airing August 3, is voted on by the TCA’s membership of top critics from the US and Canada. It’s an invite-only event that will once again take place at the iconic Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Nominees will be announced in mid-June.

Daniel “Desus Nice” Baker and Joel “The Kid Mero” Martinez join the TCA’s long legacy of all-star hosts, joining former emcees such as Robin Thede, Kristin Chenoweth, James Corden, Terry Crews, Bryan Cranston, Key & Peele, Ellen DeGeneres, Conan O’Brien, Drew Carey, Craig Ferguson, Wanda Sykes, the Smothers Brothers, Nick Offerman, Dax Shepard, and Bob Newhart, among many others.

Kristin Chenoweth dresses as a Handmaid while hosting the 33rd Annual Television Critics Association Awards in 2017 (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

“Desus & Mero have spent the past decade establishing themselves as fresh, unpredictable forces, as vital in the bodega as in the Beverly Hilton ballroom,” said TCA President and The Hollywood Reporter Chief TV Critic, Daniel Fienberg.

“We are honored to have them on hand, as we commemorate a landmark television season and 35 years of the TCA Awards. I can’t wait to hear how they kick off the show. Nobody is safe, but as long as Tucker Carlson doesn’t win anything, it should be a fun night!”

The TCA Awards ceremony bestows honors across 12 distinct categories highlighting achievements in drama, comedy, reality, youth programming, sketch/variety, news and information, and more.

Also during the event, the Heritage Award will be given to one television series that still impacts our culture today and the Career Achievement Award will be awarded to an entertainment icon whose life and legacy has influenced performers, writers and fans of television.