Carlos Mencia

Inside the Mind of Mencia

Get ready for a night of fun and laughter as Carlos Mencia takes the stage at The Theatre at the Frank Erwin Center on October 3! Mencia has been hard at work preparing new material and it should provide for an entertaining new routine when he hits Austin in the fall.

Along with preparing for his upcoming tour, Mencia has also been working on his Comedy Central show, Mind of Mencia. His show was renewed for a fourth season and has the second highest viewership on Comedy Central next to Southpark. “I’ve written a bunch of stuff for the show and we already taped a few pieces,” says Mencia. “There are a lot of things that I changed about the show this year. It feels more fun and funnier.” Mencia has also been working on his act at the Comedy Store on Sunset in Hollywood in an effort to refine his new material.

Mencia’s success as a comedian is a long way from his humble beginnings. He grew up as the second youngest of 18 children. He went to live with his aunt and uncle in East Los Angeles and credits them for helping to keep him out of gangs and in school. Surprisingly, Mencia did not pursue comedy until he had almost completed an electrical engineering degree from California State University. “I had no idea whatsoever that I could do stand-up (comedy),” Mencia said. “I’d just vent my frustrations to guys at work and they would laugh their (butts) off, but I was serious and it would (make me mad). So I would get angrier and keep going. They were like, ‘That’s funny.’ And it’s like, ‘I’m not trying to be funny.’” One night, Mencia participated in an open mic night at The Laugh Factory and due to the reception he received, decided to pursue a career in comedy.

Through his success in comedy, Mencia has gone on to star in multiple film roles and on television. He has had guest appearances on The Shield and MADtv as well as a role in the movie, The Heartbreak Kid. Mencia is sure to delight with his performance on October 3. Be sure to order your tickets early as last year’s show sold out!