Kilbane was born in Lakewood, Ohio and attended Beloit College, where he graduated in 1990. While there, Kilbane majored in French and he began work as a stand-up Comedian. Kilbane is an alumnus of the Sigma Chi International Fraternity. After graduation, he toured the midwest for four years, spending over 40 weeks a year on the road. Kilbane would later move to Los Angeles, where he would act in commercials for Budweiser (fighting an "evil" refrigerator), The Single Guy, and HBO's Arli$$.