Mencia, born Ned Mencia in Honduras in 1967, grew up in East L.A. after immigrating at 7 months old. He almost acquired a degree in electrical engineering at Cal State Los Angeles before winning an open mike competition at The Laugh Factory and pursuing stand-up full-time.

"My birth mother was pissed. My birth father, livid," Mencia said in an interview with the San Fransico Chronicle.

Mencia rose through the ranks in the Latino comedy community, hosting numerous comedy specials for HBO.

When Dave Chappelle famously disappeared in the middle of the third season of "Chappelle's Show," Mencia got his own show, "Mind of Mencia," in that time slot on Comedy Central.

Mainstream audiences reacted positively to "Mind of Mencia," and it was renewed for three more seasons,

though some found his use of racial epithets crass.

"More than anyone in the world, I just talk about the stuff that's going on out there," Mencia said in an interview with FHM. "People say, 'Race isn't an issue.' Really? Then why is it a big deal that our president is black? Is it because race is an issue? Yeah. To ignore that is stilted; it's dumb."

Before being canceled in 2008, "Mind of Mencia" spent much of its half-hour time slot focusing on racial issues, but Mencia never saw it as hurtful.

"I do jokes where I play a white guy, a red neck, a black guy, whatever," Mencia said in an interview with The LAist. "I get to expand on things. Also when you see my show all the surrounding characters are of ethnicity. You get a different view. In ways it's helpful and it's hurtful. People are better than they are, we have the capability to be better but look around you, we aren't. That's where the realness comes in."

Like it or not, Mencia's angry style of race-based comedy brought results. "Mind of Mencia" was consistently one of Comedy Central's highest rated shows -- losing the No. 1 slot only to network mainstay "South Park."

It's not just the content of his jokes that has inflamed Mencia's detractors. He was publicly accused of plagiarizing jokes by fellow comedians Joe Rogan and George Lopez, and he was also depicted on an episode of "South Park" passing a common joke as his own.

With public sentiment turning on him, Mencia became something of a whipping boy in the stand-up community.

After "Mind of Mencia," he opened a chain of Mexican restaurants and starred in "The Heartbreak Kid" with Ben Stiller. Now he's back on tour doing stand-up again. Despite the controversies surrounding his material, Mencia maintains a positive attitude toward performing.

"This thing really helped me. I am so happy with my comedy right now. This is what I do. There are about 200 other channels on cable; if you don't like what I am offering there are plenty of other options available."

Carlos Mencia

Tonight

When: 8 p.m.

Where: Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center

Tickets: $36.25-$56

Saturday

When: 8 p.m.

Where: Carlson Center in Fairbanks

Tickets: $43.50-$51

Tickets available at: Ticketmaster.com