Carlos Mencia

Born in 1967 in Honduras as Ned Arnel Mencia, Carlos Mencia is a stand-up comedian who delves into issues of race, religion, politics, immigration and other controversial subjects.

Mencia was raised in East Los Angeles and started doing stand-up in the early 1990s. He got his first break when Arsenio Hall put him on his show which later led to a hosting gig for HBO’s Loco Slam Latino comedy showcase. For the rest of the 90s and early into the 2000s, Mencia continued to do stand-up, touring with Freddy Soto and Pablo Francisco, in addition to starring in half-hour comedy shows on HBO and Comedy Central.

Mencia’s biggest break came in 2005 when Comedy Central launched the hit show Mind of Mencia. Critically derided, the show garnered an enormous audience for Comedy Central and was one of the highest rated shows on the network. Mind of Mencia ran for four seasons and ultimately was canceled around the time Mencia was accused of stealing jokes from other comedians.

Mencia has also starred in a number of TV shows like In Living Color, The Shield, and Moesha. Today, Mencia continues to do stand-up and plays to packed houses throughout the country.