How Q Changed His Life (And What You Can Learn)

Brian 'Q' Quinn, a retired firefighter from Impractical Jokers, shares how a broken engagement, a cubicle job, and a car accident led him to find freedom and purpose.

Key Takeaways

Strong friendships can be a lifeline during periods of depression and uncertainty.
Failed plans can open unexpected doors; it's worth being ready to pivot.
Staying in an unfulfilling job or relationship out of expectation can deepen unhappiness.
Seeking support and talking about mental health struggles matters.

What the video covers

Q's firehouse crew sings 'Tiny Dancer' during an Impractical Jokers surprise episode, triggering an emotional moment.
Q describes his years working a draining sales job at a safety sign company, feeling trapped with no prospects.
He had long aspired to become a firefighter but faced a lengthy waiting list after passing the written test.
Q recounts a difficult period in his relationship with his high school sweetheart, including suspicions of infidelity and a cruise where she vacationed with friends.
A car accident in his early twenties leads Q to a comic book store, where he connects with Johnson and later Brian, forming lasting friendships.
The friendships with Johnson and Brian provide Q with support, humor, and a sense of belonging that carries him through depression.
The transcript describes how Impractical Jokers was born from the group's shared sense of humor and bond.
Q quit his sales job dramatically, reflecting a turning point toward a more fulfilling life.
The video frames Q's story as one of resilience: plans may fail, but new paths and relationships can emerge.
The narrative is personal and emotional, mixing humorous anecdotes with serious discussions of depression and suicidal thoughts.

Chapters

Why was Q so upset in the opening scene?

The video opens with Q overcome during a surprise moment in which his firehouse crew sang 'Tiny Dancer.' The transcript suggests the emotional response was tied to the bond with his former colleagues and the weight of his past struggles.

What job did Q have before joining Impractical Jokers?

Q worked a sales job at a company selling safety signs, sitting in a cubicle making calls. He describes the job as draining and says he felt he had no prospects, which contributed to his depression.

How did Q's friendships help him change his life?

Friendships with Johnson and Brian gave Q support, a sense of belonging, and a way out of his depression. The transcript suggests these relationships helped him find freedom and eventually led to his work on Impractical Jokers.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

Speaker A

We were all hanging out there. One of the guys just started playing "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John, and all the firehouse guys in the audience started singing it. And then the crew started singing it, and I was like, "This is [ __ ] beautiful!"

Speaker A

[ __ ] beautiful. Yeah! It's all your firemen buddies. You know, something caught me off guard here. My senses are erecting. This guy, Brian Quinn, is a retired fireman known as Q, and he's tonight's big loser on a

Speaker A

Yeah! It's all your firemen buddies.

Speaker A

Oh, and they love musicals. But wait a minute, doesn't it look like Q's about to cry?

Speaker A

You know, something caught me off guard here. My senses are erecting. This guy, Brian Quinn, is a retired fireman known as Q, and he's tonight's big loser on a show called "Impractical Jokers." What Q doesn't know is that we just replaced that entire audience with everyone that he used to work with on the fire department.

Speaker A

Ah! I am not crazy. I am not. But what caused Q to break down like this?

Speaker A

Oh, and they love musicals.

Speaker A

Because as I was pawing through Q's life, his story is much darker than you were probably expecting. And if we investigate, our very first clue takes us to Tech Products, a company open Monday through Friday selling safety signs. Every day you'd sit in a cubicle

Speaker A

But wait a minute, doesn't it look like Q's about to cry?

Speaker A

Or who would yell at you if you made too few calls, or accuse you of lying if you made too many. And this was Quby's life every single day.

Speaker A

I turn away and it looks like I'm laughing, but I started crying. Because I, I was just hit me.

Speaker A

Even if you pass the firefighters written test, you could be waiting forever because you get put on a list.

Speaker A

Ah! I am not crazy. I am not.

Speaker A

his original plan did not work. At some point he was planning to be a cop first and then wait to be called as a firefighter. However, there aren't any records of him ever doing that.

Speaker A

But what caused Q to break down like this?

Speaker A

I'm depressed. You know, I feel like a failure. I don't want to face this future that I'm facing and I don't know how to get out of it.

Speaker A

I was very young. How old were you when you got hired? Like 24.

Speaker A

You're with someone for a long amount of time and you know, you just it's expected and I was too young to know better and [ __ ] like that. What happened was I was I was engaged very young.

Speaker A

Because as I was pawing through Q's life, his story is much darker than you were probably expecting. And if we investigate, our very first clue takes us to Tech Products, a company open Monday through Friday selling safety signs.

Speaker A

I was right again. I'm always right. Isn't there a medium? Can't you be happy in working stable job?

Speaker A

Every day you'd sit in a cubicle making call after call trying to land a sale.

Speaker A

Bermuda? You ever been to Bermuda? Yeah. So, every year Q's fiance would go on a cruise. She would go with her friends who are her lifetime buddies and Q being alone all at home decided [ __ ] it, weed

Speaker A

You also had a boss.

Speaker A

You see, Key West was actually pretty fun vacation. Johnson and Q go way back.

Speaker A

I've got a boss.

Speaker A

banged up Q got out of his car despite how injured he was, he still looked like an absolute chad. And so he waddled around kind of like a lost puppy until he got to this comic book store about a

Speaker A

Who would yell at you if you made too few calls, or accuse you of lying if you made too many.

Speaker A

When he gets there, everyone can tell that he got into an accident. They can all see his screwed up arm and banged up head. Then there was this figure staring at Q. He said you are bringing sexy back.

Speaker A

And this was Q's life every single day.

Speaker A

And Johnson just turns to me and goes, he goes, "Well, you know, when you're sucking, you're supposed to be in the passenger seat when you do it." I was like, "That was 10 minutes before the accident." And this guy's like

Speaker A

Um, I'm working a job I hate. I have no prospects.

Speaker A

So, what Q would do is he would work at his production company and then scurry on back to the comic book store. And for years they hung out together doing exactly this. It makes you wonder, what makes these relationships special? I'm

Speaker A

You see, we all have aspirations, some big, some small, some none at all. But Q in particular wanted to be a firefighter. But there's a slight issue.

Speaker A

And so at some point along the drive back from Key West, they stopped for a break. And Q spots a payphone nearby and he goes to it. Mind you, he hasn't spoken to his fiance for coming on a

Speaker A

Even if you pass the firefighter's written test, you could be waiting forever because you get put on a list.

Speaker A

Really? You knew right away? Did I not know it right away? Got back in the car and I was like I said, "I don't think she cheated on me." I was like, "But something she's got something to admit to me. I could tell."

Speaker A

FBI, open up!

Speaker A

Um my friend's cousin came on this cruise and you know what I mean? And everybody was there, you know, we we you know, I just hung out with them, and you know, when everybody ran around the scooters, and this is where the scooter

Speaker A

Didn't show it.

Speaker A

And um that was it. So, Q believes that there's nothing more to it. Yet, sometime after he gets home, he's just sad. Something had to happen within this whole altercation for them to have a talk.

Speaker A

The highest scores get called first. Everyone else waits until the list reaches them. Q would have to wait a very long time for anything to come his way.

Speaker A

Not like now. And I said these are the This is how I'm feeling. And her response?

Speaker A

Of course, he never stopped chasing this prospect, even if his original plan did not work. At some point he was planning to be a cop first and then wait to be called as a firefighter. However, there aren't any records of him ever doing that.

Speaker A

So, you you That's not the response you were hoping to get. You wanted support in your A little bit of support what I thought would have been nice, but there was none.

Speaker A

Unfortunately, plans are like plates. Sometimes you just got to shatter a plate and grab another one. But it still hurts.

Speaker A

felt lost. Life doesn't always give you clear answer. Sometimes the worst part is not knowing what really happened. So, you're left believing the worst. Q saw what freedom was like on that vacation with Johnson, then went back to life

Speaker A

I'm depressed. You know, I feel like a failure. I don't want to face this future that I'm facing, and I don't know how to get out of it.

Speaker A

So, she went out with her friends, and I was left in the apartment, and I was sitting there, and I was like now I'm in I thought I had hit rock bottom. Like, she handed me a jackhammer, and was

Speaker A

My high school sweetheart.

Speaker A

The phone rings, and it's her. At around 1:30 a.m., she's at a bar, and she asks him to go get bagels for her breakfast.

Speaker A

Yeah. All right. So, let me paint a picture. Q had been with some chick he met ever since high school, you know, meaning since 18. They're the perfect couple.

Speaker A

Now I'm getting angry. Now there's like a fire in me. And I'm like, what the [ __ ] is wrong with her?

Speaker A

You're with someone for a long amount of time and, you know, it's expected, and I was too young to know better and [ __ ] like that. What happened was I was engaged very young.

Speaker A

[ __ ] like people considering suicide and [ __ ] like that. Like you're not ending the pain, you're ending the opportunity for things to get better.

Speaker A

You know, I'm placing the bet he didn't want kids. Support a family. Kids are another thing I don't want. Like, and I got to pay for that [ __ ] too.

Speaker A

Specifically the basement. By the way, Tech Products, the company he worked at, apparently some drunk guy pissed on the building.

Speaker A

I was right again. I'm always right.

Speaker A

Yeah, I got drunk one night. And pissed on the front door of it cuz I quit my job. I quit the sign company. I was like, [ __ ] this. I was like, I'm not signing it.

Speaker A

Isn't there a medium? Can't you be happy in a working, stable job?

Speaker A

Q is kind of in a pickle here. He's living the no prospect life. So, what changed? How do you go from a life of depression to a stable one? Johnson happened. I called it.

Speaker A

Sort of. Because Q was happy for a bit even when he hated his life. And I'll tell you, but first let me ask.

Speaker A

You were really angry and upset and like It was a It was a Q that like you would not not even recognize today. Nurse Nurse a Q back to [ __ ] a state of stable mental health.

Speaker A

Bermuda? You ever been to Bermuda?

Speaker A

Q unlocked the cage that he put himself in. And I mean that in a way where he didn't compromise with people for a life that he didn't want. Q would be selfish for his future, not someone else's.

Speaker A

Yeah.

Speaker A

even exist yet. When he got hurt, his friends backed him and his choice. This is where the idea of having prospects come to fruition, especially with the new mentality he gained at Duck with him.

Speaker A

So, every year Q's fiancée would go on a cruise. She would go with her friends, who are her lifetime buddies, and Q, being alone at home, decided [ __ ] it, weed bong, and went on his own vacation. He went to Key West with Brian Johnson.

Speaker A

sweat it. Just [ __ ] hold on, man, and and and you know Hold tight.

Speaker A

You see, Key West was actually a pretty fun vacation. Johnson and Q go way back.

Speaker A

If it breaks, we get another. I had a goddamn plan. Whatever your Joker statue may be.

Speaker A

So, when Q was around 20 years old, he was working at a production company as an intern. On his way back home to Staten Island, he may have gotten into a little bit of a car accident. And so, very banged up, Q got out of his car, and despite how injured he was, he still looked like an absolute chad. And so he waddled around kind of like a lost puppy until he got to this comic book store about a block away.

Speaker A

Yes. And that's when the rest of the story starts to make sense. Do my time until I got called for the fire department.

Speaker A

So I walked to the store to use the phone, which is before cell phones, and call my, you know, call my parents to come get me, or my brother, or something.

Speaker A

So, because of the attacks of 9/11, the culture of the firehouse had suffered because all the leaders and seniors had unfortunately died or gotten sick. So, Q got hired to go in and build the culture of the firehouse department. His job was

Speaker A

When he gets there, everyone can tell that he got into an accident. They can all see his screwed-up arm and banged-up head. Then there was this figure staring at Q. He said, "You are bringing sexy back."

Speaker A

did what Johnson was doing for him these past few years. It was just the guys in the house, man. It's like it becomes more than a family instantly.

Speaker A

Sexy back. Yeah. No, he didn't, but I thought it'd be cool. But he looked like he had something to say.

Speaker A

Q finally had the plate that he wanted for most of his life. And it was worth it, so long as he was happy. But about a year later, one of his old high school friends reached out. Something about the

Speaker A

And Johnson just turns to me and goes, he goes, "Well, you know, when you're sucking, you're supposed to be in the passenger seat when you do it."

Speaker A

spark. The chemistry between the four of them was good. It was funny. You can be Jenkins?

Speaker A

I was like, "That was 10 minutes before the accident."

Speaker A

You know, I never understood why Murr looks just so damn smug. Over the next few years, they would try making two shows, but both went nowhere. But something may be on the horizon.

Speaker A

And this guy's like already [ __ ] He's ripping you for it. Just ripping me for it. He's like, "Yeah, you don't even know how to suck right."

Speaker A

Something that hadn't been done before. This didn't happen overnight. This happened around 4 to 5 years later, but when the time came And so we sat there in my apartment, and Joseph Murray, we were like, "How could we twist the format in a way that hasn't

Speaker A

And I'm like... And that was it. And that was the beginning of my friendship with him.

Speaker A

Instead of making strangers the joke, they would be the joke. And that's how Impractical Jokers was born.

Speaker A

So, what Q would do is he would work at his production company and then scurry on back to the comic book store. And for years they hung out together doing exactly this.

Speaker A

And at night, he was in the firehouse. In his own words, the first 2 years of the show were difficult. It was the firehouse, and then the TV show. So, I had to take a leave of absence when we

Speaker A

It makes you wonder, what makes these relationships special?

Speaker A

Tell me what'll happen if I don't do the show. Can they do the show without me?

Speaker A

I'm going to place another bet. Brian saves Q. I don't know how, but he will. He will, somehow. The main thing is that anytime Q is with Brian, he felt happy.

Speaker A

Yeah, I was just all what I would do. I thought it was going to be like a 20-year frat house with my boys.

Speaker A

And so at some point along the drive back from Key West, they stopped for a break. And Q spots a payphone nearby, and he goes to it. Mind you, he hasn't spoken to his fiancée for coming on a week now. He punches in the numbers and he hears her voice.

Speaker A

For the last 8 years, he's had the thing that makes him fulfilled. But if he leaves now, then the show gets canceled, ruining what Sal, Murr, and Joe have been chasing for the last decade. But, on the other hand, the life that he's

Speaker A

Finally, I got her on the phone, and I could just tell.

Speaker A

Money-wise, it wasn't much of a risk. I would say that that I actually look like a little bit of a scaredy cat. I was already on a hit show for five seasons. So, really it was like pretty safe lily pad to lily pad, yeah.

Speaker A

Really? You knew right away?

Speaker A

At 24, Q couldn't see a future that he wanted. Now, he had to. When we look at the reasons why he loved his job, it's because supporting others was fulfilling. He can support others now, but with more reach. You see, Q works

Speaker A

Did I not know it right away? Got back in the car and I was like, I said, "I don't think she cheated on me." I was like, "But something, she's got something to admit to me. I could tell."

Speaker A

could always use more love. He can do Impractical Jokers while still visiting his old life. Q also somewhat backs this up. Again, in his own words, "We hear it a lot. It's one of the biggest compliments that we get, which is you

Speaker A

So when Q gets home, he doesn't have to wait very long, because about a second later his fiancée magically appears in front of him.

Speaker A

something that he has, but in turn make the world a little bit happier. So, he chose to be for others what his friends were when he was 24. This is his selfish desire. Q's on set today, and he's

Speaker A

What ended up happening on the cruise ship was that some friend's cousin was with her.

Speaker A

It's been around 3 years since he last worked at the department. I had made the decision that I was going to leave it, and I was like that day on the day that I was going to essentially retire

Speaker A

Um, my friend's cousin came on this cruise, and you know what I mean? And everybody was there, you know, we, you know, I just hung out with them, and, you know, when everybody ran around the scooters, and this is where the scooter dude part comes in, she was like, "I would just ride on the scooter with him."

Speaker A

They were all hanging out there, and one of the one of the guys just started playing Tiny Dancer by Elton John and all the firehouse guys in the audience started singing it and then the crew started singing it and I was like this

Speaker A

And, um, that was it.

Topics:Impractical JokersBrian QuinnQTiny DancerfirefighterdepressionfriendshipMurrJohnsonlife story

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