Josh Kilmer-Purcell (birthname: Joshua Gordon Kilmer) was born in Albany, New York, and raised in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin during his early childhood. He attended high school in Mansfield, Massachusetts, going on to Michigan State University, where he studied creative writing with the poet Diane Wakoski, graduating with a BA in English Literature in 1991. He added his stepfather's surname "Purcell" in 1990. He met partner, now fiancé, Dr. Brent Ridge in New York City in 2000.