From the television to the silver screen and now straight to Kansas City, Mo., Carlos Mencia shares his comedic insight. Mencia, who also hosts the popular Comedy Central show “Mind of Mencia,” will perform at 7 p.m. at the Music Hall in Kansas City, Mo., located at 301 W. 13th St.

Mencia, who tried to get Kansas City as a tour stop on his tour last year, said he had been coming to Kansas City for years and had built a strong relationship with the city and the people.

“I love it, it’s just a great city,” Mencia said. “I dig how half of the city is in Kansas, of course, and the other half is in Missouri. It’s incredibly hysterical.”

Mencia said he attended California State University and planned to be an engineer. He always had things to talk about, but had no outlet because his mom didn’t approve of his comedy. He credited his friends who took him to watch and perform stand-up as his inspiration for tackling comedy.

Since debuting in the summer of 2005, Mencia’s television show, “Mind of Mencia,” has been so successful that the second season of the show was ranked as Comedy Central’s highest rated program ever behind “South Park.” The program will return for its fourth season in the spring. Mencia said he thought the show would be popular when it first started but was surprised by the level of popularity it has gained.

“The best part about the show is I get to show people who I am,” Mencia said. He said he had to adjust certain parts of the show for Comedy Central and television standards and it could be a hassle at times He said that the reward of having a popular show made it all worth it.

Since the start of his show, various critics have accused Mencia of talking about too sensitive of issues. Some critics said he used racist jokes but Mencia doesn’t pay attention to any of his critics.

“Racism is not making a comment,” Mencia said. “Racism is saying I won’t have a black person on my show. Or that I won’t have a white person on my show. But I have had every kind of race on the show.” He likened his comedy to a “complicated knock-knock joke.” He said that he didn’t understand those who criticized his jokes after they learned what was on the other side of the door.

Mencia said his jokes stemmed from reality and that he simply talked about things people discuss when not in public.

“I just say things you would say if you were in private with close friends,” Mencia said. “I say what you want to say, I’m just the guy who gets shit for it.”

Brent Bollwitt, Ewing, Neb., sophomore, said Mencia’s willingness to be honest was what made him a great comedian.

“The thing that makes Carlos unique as a comedian is the fact that he’s not afraid to tell it how it truly is,” Bollwitt said. “He utilizes so many American-held stereotypes in his acts which you know people may be thinking, but are too afraid to come out and say themselves.”

In addition to his stand-up tour and television show, Mencia has been making the transition to movies, including the recently released “The Heartbreak Kid,” in which he played Uncle Tito alongside Ben Stiller.

“It was great working with Ben and the Farrelly brothers ­­— unbelievable,” Mencia said. He said more films were on the way and that he would do film while continuing his popular television show.

Larry McDonald, Olathe resident and a fan who plans to attend Mencia’s show tonight, said he thought Mencia would be great in film.

“He’s a guy with a lot of talent and I’m sure he’ll do just as successful in movies as he has TV if he continues to make them,” he said.

Mencia said fans should expect the unexpected because nothing was staged for tonight’s show. Tickets are still available for $36 and $41 depending on seating and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com or at the Music Hall.

“I don’t know what I’m going to talk about a minute before I go on stage,” Mencia said. “I fly by the seat of my pants and make sure I don’t ignore the audience.”

— Edited by Rachael Gray