His style of comedy is often political and involves issues of race relations, Latin American culture, criminal justice, and social class.

[1] Ned Arnel Mencía was born in San Pedro Sula on October 22, 1967, to Honduran parents Magdelena Mencia and Roberto Holness.

[4] He moved to the U.S. as a child and was raised Catholic[6] in East Los Angeles by his aunt Consuelo and uncle Pablo Mencía.

[2] He attended Garfield High School in Los Angeles County,[7] and later majored in electrical engineering at California State University, Los Angeles; however, he dropped out to pursue a career in comedy after a successful performance at an open mic night at The Laugh Factory.

In 1988, at the suggestion of Comedy Store owner Mitzi Shore, he began using the first name "Carlos" to appeal to Mexican audiences.

His success in these venues led to appearances on The Arsenio Hall Show and Buscando Estrellas, where he attained the title "International Comedy Grand Champion."

Mencia went on a 2011 stand-up comedy tour, including dates at the Improv in Schaumburg, Illinois, on June 24 and 25, and ending in Las Vegas at Treasure Island on September 16, 2011.

[12] By January 2013, Mencia's restaurants had closed amid poor reviews, though one franchised location continued to license the name.

[16][17] Mike Byoff of Gawker said of Mencia, "Not only does he steal jokes from classic comedians but he's needlessly racist and had no sense of comedic timing whatsoever.

"[18] A 2010 article in The Wall Street Journal noted that Mencia, Dane Cook, and Jay Leno were three of the most popular stand-ups that were hated by fellow comedians.

[1] In February 2009, Mencia was dropped from the Krewe of Orpheus' celebrity lineup for New Orleans Mardi Gras, citing inappropriate comments he made in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

[32][33] Mencia is parodied in "Fishsticks", an April 2009 episode of the animated TV Series South Park, that aired as part of its thirteenth season.

In the episode, Mencia takes credit for the "fishsticks" joke that fourth grader Jimmy Valmer actually conceives of and popularizes.