Paul Christian Scheer was born in Huntington, New York, on January 31, 1976. He attended St. Anthony's High School in Huntington, and then went on to study communication and education at New York University.

After graduating from NYU, Scheer began his comedy career with the Upright Citizens Brigade, a sketch comedy troupe based in New York City. He also began appearing in television and film roles, including a recurring role on the MTV sketch comedy series Human Giant.