What Is Carlos Mencia Doing Now? Here's What the Comedian Has Been up To
Carlos Mencia's name was tarnished over claims he stole jokes. Did he ever recover and return to comedy?
Published Dec. 17 2024, 3:36 p.m. ET
The rise and fall of comedian Carlos Mencia has been well-documented, but one question remains: Did he really steal his jokes? The rumor of joke theft alone was enough to tarnish his reputation and drag him down after being the star of Mind of Mencia — which aired from 2005 to 2008 with 58 episodes, per IMDb — and hosting various comedy shows throughout the late '90s and early 2000s.
Still, some question which jokes he allegedly stole and whether it was just a handful that gave the impression his entire act was fake.
More of his story is explored in an extended episode of The Dark Side of Comedy, airing Dec. 17, 2024, on Vice. But the real question is: Where is Carlos now and did the rumor ruin his career?
What is Carlos Mencia doing now?
Although Carlos's name might not rank alongside top comedians like Kevin Hart, Andrew Shultz, and Ali Wong these days, he's still out there performing. That’s right, despite the industry turning its back on him, Carlos is still touring, working hard, and cracking jokes on stage.
In October 2024, Carlos performed in Las Vegas, and by early December, he made his way to San Antonio, Texas, where he managed to enjoy his trip despite having his wallet stolen (ID intact), after accidentally leaving it behind at a restaurant.
Carlos has kept busy, even returning to the Stars of Comedy show at Harrah’s Showroom in Las Vegas on Dec. 16, 2024. And to close out the year, Carlos will ring in 2025 with two back-to-back shows in San Antonio, Texas.
When he's not busy working and telling jokes, Carlos spends time at home with his family. He has been married to Amy Mencia since 2003, and they share two kids. Carlos welcomed his son, Lucas Pablo Mencia, in 2006, and based on recent Instagram videos, it looks like he has a younger son as well.
Although Carlos's career took a slight turn after being outed by fellow comedians over joke-stealing claims, he seems to be doing just fine landing gigs and raking in the big bucks. His net worth is estimated to be around $8 million, per, Celebrity Net Worth.
So, what jokes did Carlos Mencia allegedly steal?
Carlos has stood by his innocence, claiming he’s never stolen jokes. However, during a February 2024 appearance on The Cassius Morris Show podcast, he admitted that if any joke could remotely support the accusations, it would be the Bill Cosby one. Carlos explained, "But I don’t remember seeing that. I have no explanation for why it’s so similar," emphasizing that he didn’t intentionally steal the joke.
Still, he acknowledged that the similarities might lead some people to continue believing he did. "If you wish to believe that I stole that joke, then I have nothing to say other than I did speak to him about it. He was very gracious, and so, you know, if you have a problem with it, it is what it is."
Carlos further defended himself against the joke-stealing claims in the comment section of his Dec. 9, 2024, Instagram post, where he shared the story of losing his wallet in San Antonio. While most commenters sympathized with Carlos, acknowledging how difficult it can be to travel by plane without any form of identification, one person took the opportunity to ask, "Are you still a joke thief?" Carlos simply replied, "Never was."