Upbringing

Regan is of Irish descent and was raised in Westchester, Florida along with his seven brothers and sisters. Both his parents had a great sense of humor and his dad loved to have long bouts of laughter with his family. Regan attended Christopher Columbus High School. He initially studied accounting at Heidelberg College in Ohio but he was encouraged to study theater and communications by his football coach. Regan played wide receiver on his college team.

Regan was always a fan of comedians such as Steve Martin and Johnny Carson. Regan left college during his last semester in 1980 to pursue a comedy career. He would eventually finish his degree years later in 1997. Regan’s brother, Dennis Regan, is also a stand-up comedian.

Start to Comedy Career

Regan’s comedic material references everyday events like shipping packages and going to the doctor. He often likes to use physical comedy in his shows. He also references childhood events like sports, projects, and spelling bees. He does not rely on profanity or adult humor. His clean comedy allowed him to develop a fan base that crosses all age groups. The theaters are filled nation-wide when he performs.

Regan described his start in comedy to Technique, “I decided to start standup in college. My first set was at a comedy club in Fort Lauderdale. You know, when I went up, I got up there, and the light was shining in my eyes and everything, and I just went up there and ad-libbed. I just said, “I forgot my lines.” And the craziest thing is, I killed. It was surreal. When I stepped off stage, my head was spinning, and when I drove home that night, it really felt good.”

Regan had a different experience than most comedians when they first got on stage. Most comedians end up bombing and either getting booed or awkwardly leaving the stage. Some of them expect that to happen because it is almost impossible to be good at something in your first try. Some of them even encourage others to just get on stage to fail so that you can get it over with. Since Regan experienced success his first time on stage, it was a good sign for the rest of his career.

Regan released his first comedy CD, Brian Regan Live in 1997. In 2004, Regan self-released a DVD of his performance at the Irvine Improv entitled I Walked on the Moon, and he was also a featured comedian in a Comedy Central animated stand-up series called Shorties Watchin' Shorties.

In April 2007, Regan signed a deal with Comedy Central to star in two one-hour stand-up specials, release the specials on DVD, develop a show for the network, and headline a theater tour called Brian Regan in Concert: A Comedy Central Live Event which kicked off on June 8, 2007.