The Tragic Origins of Brian 'Q' Quinn | Before Impractical Jokers Ep. 2

Discover the challenging journey of Brian 'Q' Quinn from depression and firefighting to fame with Impractical Jokers.

Key Takeaways

Q's rise to fame was marked by personal struggles including depression and a broken engagement.
His experience as a firefighter gave him a sense of purpose and shaped his outlook on life.
Reuniting with old friends led to the formation of a successful comedy troupe and eventually Impractical Jokers.
Q's unique comedic style was key to the group's success.
Impractical Jokers' success was built on strong friendships and shared passion for comedy.

What the video covers

Brian 'Q' Quinn was born on March 14, 1976, in Brooklyn, New York.
He attended Monsignor Farrell High School, where he joined the drama club and met future Impractical Jokers co-stars Joe Murr and Sal.
Q and his friends were known for pranks like 'Vermin Day' during their school years.
After high school, the group drifted apart as they attended different colleges, during which Q struggled with severe depression.
Q was engaged to someone he did not love and called off the wedding weeks before it was scheduled due to his mental health struggles.
Inspired by 9/11 firefighters, Q joined the New York Fire Department in 2005 and found purpose and camaraderie in the job.
In 2006, while still a firefighter, Q reconnected with his friends and joined their comedy troupe, The Tenderloins.
Q contributed a unique edge to their humor, helping the group produce acclaimed sketches, including the prize-winning 'Time Thugs'.
In 2009, the troupe shot a pilot for a pranking show that was picked up by truTV, leading to the creation of Impractical Jokers.
Q considers firefighting his dream job but found new success and fame with Impractical Jokers.

Chapters

What inspired Brian 'Q' Quinn to join the New York Fire Department?

After struggling with depression and personal issues, Q was inspired by the heroics of firefighters during 9/11 and sought a meaningful career, leading him to join the New York Fire Department in 2005.

How did Brian 'Q' Quinn meet his Impractical Jokers co-stars?

Q met Joe Murr and Sal during high school when he joined the drama club, the only club that allowed girls, where they bonded over their shared love of comedy.

What role did Brian 'Q' Quinn play in the success of The Tenderloins and Impractical Jokers?

Q brought a unique edge to the group's humor, helping produce acclaimed sketches like 'Time Thugs,' and his involvement was crucial in the formation and success of Impractical Jokers.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

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Impractical Jokers would be nothing without Q. He's responsible for the most iconic moments on the show, but his rise to fame has by no means been easy. This is a story of Brian Q Quinn. Q was born on March 14th, 1976, in Brooklyn, New York.

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I went to Monsignor Farrell High School. It was an all-boys school, and so Q found there were very few opportunities to meet girls. This was when I discovered the school drama club, the only club in school which

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allowed girls to join. He joined as soon as he could, and it was here that he met his future Impractical Jokers co-stars Joe Murr and Sal. They soon became close friends, bonding over their shared love of comedy. At school, Q and the group were class

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clowns and often pulled pranks on their classmates. One of their favorite pranks was what they called Vermin Day, where they all brought in backpacks filled with rats, which they set free at noon, and the rest of the class would go crazy trying

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to hide from them. The group were the best of friends, but as most friendships tend to do, they drifted apart after school. The group all headed off to different colleges, and during this time Q's life spiraled. He'd been struggling

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heavily with a deep depression, often waking up crying. He hated his job, he hated who he worked with, and he hated his boss. But his job wasn't the only thing causing his depression. He was engaged to someone he didn't love. Every day he

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could feel the wedding approaching. He got to the point where he was suicidal and didn't want to face his future. They had already sent out all the invitations, and the wedding was already booked, but each day his depression was getting

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worse, and he knew he had to do something about it. Just weeks from the wedding, and with help from his friend Sal, he finally decided he needed to tell his fiance about his depression. He made the call in

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the middle of the night, and instead of understanding, she blew him off. He called her back and told her the wedding was off. Q was still suffering from intense depression, and he decided he needed to make some serious life changes. He had

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his mind set on doing something meaningful with his life. This was in the aftermath of 9/11, and he was inspired by the heroics of the firemen who rushed in to save people from the burning towers. He joined the New York Fire Department

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in 2005, and in the next eight years grew to love the camaraderie and purpose the job gave him. He said in an interview later, "When people say I have my dream job with the Impractical Jokers, I tell them no, I

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already had my dream job. I was a fireman." In 2006, Q was still a firefighter and was mentally in the best shape he'd ever been. It was at this point that he got a call from his old high school friends,

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Sal, Murr, and Joe. The comedy troupe, The Tenderloins, had just lost their fourth member, Mike, but Joe and they needed Q to help fill in. Q agreed, and when he joined, magic started to happen. Q brought an edge to humor that

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was desperately missing, and as they started producing more and more sketches, their chemistry only grew. Soon they were producing acclaimed sketches such as their hundred-thousand-dollar prize-winning sketch, Time Thugs, and the fortunes of The Tenderloins went from

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strength to strength. In 2009, with Murr recognizing the potential of their cast, they shot a pilot on an iPhone for a pranking show. Murr pitched a pilot to truTV, and they loved it, picking it up for a season, and the rest was history.

Speaker A

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Topics:Brian QuinnQ Impractical JokersImpractical Jokers originsThe TenderloinsBrian Quinn depressionBrian Quinn firefighterComedy troupeImpractical Jokers historyNew York Fire DepartmentTime Thugs sketch

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