James Powell was born in Morrilton, Arkansas, to Deborah Mingie, who was a line worker at auto parts factory, and Adam Powell, a school bus driver. Acting began early and unintentionally for James when, at the age of ten, he was asked to perform a role in an elementary school Christmas play as Santa unexpectedly. Observers found that he had a natural knack for acting and the drama teacher quickly convinced him to join her class. James was always interested in performing comedy and always enjoyed making people smile and laugh. In 2009, James finally made his way to Los Angeles to try to make a name for himself. He performed at the Hollywood Laugh Factory a few times but soon found that he also had a real passion for acting.