The son of Gwen A. Johnson and Terry B. Johnson, Brent was born and raised in Modesto, California. Growing up, his father was a deputy sheriff in Modesto and his mother was a paralegal in San Francisco. Brent graduated from Modesto High School in 2002 , where he went by the name Jeremy Johnson. While at Modesto High, Brent was active in drama, speech and debate. In 2004 at the age of 19, he moved to Los Angeles. Brent spent his first year living on friends' couches and in his Jeep. His first apartment was across the street from Covenant House, a shelter for homeless teens, which he later helped redesign.