Joe Rogan Asked to “Take a Break” from the Comedy Store

The fallout from the Carlos Mencia and Joe Rogan confrontation hasn’t settled yet. According to his blog, Joe Rogan has been asked by management of the Comedy Store to “take a break” from the club, which he is taking to mean an outright ban from performing there again. He takes great pains to emphasize that he doesn’t believe this is club owner Mitzi Shore’s doing, but rather that of her children, including Pauly Shore, who are increasingly taking over the business as her health fades. Carlos Mencia, on the other hand, will be playing the club on Saturday the 17th.

I don’t agree that there’s enough evidence yet to hang Carlos Mencia as a joke thief, but I don’t think Joe was wrong in taking on the issue if Carlos called him up on stage and engaged him in debate - which is essentially what you are doing when you say someone doesn’t have the guts to say shit to your face. Further more, Joe was handed a microphone by somebody in the video - were they Comedy Store staff? If so he was actively encouraged to continue the feud on stage. To kick him out of the club would be a bit disingenuous. Now I wasn’t there. I don’t know all the facts. But it’s a bit disappointing that both comics aren’t paying the price for the event if it’s that much of a black mark to the Comedy Store.

Though disappointed, Joe actually sees his break with the club fitting with the Comedy Store’s bizarre history:

I think the way it ended, with a video seen by millions of people is just about a perfect way to go. It’s almost fitting that I get banned from there, because it makes no sense.
Nothing about the comedy store has ever made sense.
That was always a part of the beauty of the place.

Still, Joe encourages his fans to complain to the Comedy Store at the following phone number and email address:

323 656 6225
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

But he’s already moved on, booking gigs at the Hollywood Improv for this Thursday at 10, Friday at 8:30 and Saturday at 10. I’d say the best revenge for Joe would be for this gig to be packed. Go if you love him in general or if you just love him for the attempted video takedown of Mencia.

Oh, if you want to see the video that sparked the feud, it’s down off YouTube thanks to copyright violation clams by Carlos Mencia. In interest in letting people decide for themselves from seeing the video, after the jump I’ve included the video from two different sources which have not taken it down. Yet.

Update: Bobby Lee’s now saying that he never said Carlos stole from him. Here’s the YouTube video. In the original video when Joe asks him what Carlos stole from him, he doesn’t say “Nothing” - he talks about a bit about getting on his dad’s shoulders and then stops halfway because the cameras are there. There may well be a story here, but he’s backing away from it… which puts me far more firmly in Joe’s camp. If material is yours, speak up. Otherwise don’t be surprised when the inevitable happens.