Joshua Swickard was born in central Illinois to a pastor and vocal coach, Bob and Gina Swickard. He is the second oldest of four, with three sisters. After graduating from high school, Josh moved to Chicago to study accounting at College of DuPage. After two years, he left to start a career as a model, modeling for companies such as Men's Health, Sports Illustrated, Guess, Jockey, Finish Line, Kohl's, Nordstrom, and others.