Some YouTube comic stole a bunch of Patrice O’Neal’s work, then made a half-assed apology

Stealing another comedian’s material is a faux pas that irreparably harms a performer’s career. It’s a label that has dogged Carlos Mencia ever since Joe Rogan made it a personal vendetta to expose Mencia’s plagiarism. And Dane Cook only rehabbed his career by appearing on Louie. YouTube comic Kain Carter has racked up hundreds of thousands of followers for his channel and Twitter account, but it’s recently come to light that he stole material from the late Patrice O’Neal, an even more egregiously indefensible act since O’Neal vociferously raged against Mencia and material-swiping when he was alive. With most of the material stolen from Patrice’s radio program The Black Phillip Show and guest hosting gigs on Opie & Anthony, the revelation quickly spread across social media, reaching O’Neal’s widow, and understandably nobody is pulling punches.

Carter attempted to stem the bleeding by posting a half-assed explanation trying to justify his blatant plagiarism as keeping Patrice O’Neal alive through uncredited oral tradition—instead of, you know, citing O’Neal and directing people toward his actual work rather than repeating his material verbatim. The video comparison is damning, and yet another example that appropriating another performer’s work in the digital age doesn’t stay hidden for long.