Rogan Takes His Joke Theft Fight to Mencia's Face
Oct. 27 2008, Published 7:07 a.m. ET
Comedian and Fear Factor-ist Joe Rogan's crusade against joke-stealing hacks has cost him an agent and a regular gig at a popular comedy club after he hopped on stage to confront a notorious punchline pilferer.
Rogan recently bashed comedian Carlos Mencia for lifting laugh lines in RadarOnline.com's March issue story "Take the Funny and Run." In it, Rogan describes a Mencia warning system for comedians on stage at L.A.'s Comedy Store. "Every time he walks in, the guys in the cover booth just start yelling 'Mencia's here!'" Rogan tells RadarOnline.com.
A few days ago, Rogan took the fight directly to Mencia's face. Video has surfaced in which Rogan jumps on stage at the very same Comedy Store and confronts the alleged kleptomedian in the middle of his set. Mencia is heard calling his nemesis a "bitch" and suggesting that Rogan is in love with him. Following the confrontation, Rogan was banned from the Comedy Store. Then his agent, who also represents Mencia, called and dropped Rogan.
"Now can you IMAGINE if I was a young, struggling comic and all this shit went down? THAT is the really ugly part of it," Rogan, seemingly unfazed, writes on his website. "Now you know why people don't speak up about this shit."