Michael was born and raised in Jersey City. During his junior year of high school, he auditioned for New Jersey's Governor's School of the Arts on a lark to get himself out of the house.

He was one of 12 students selected across the state. He went on to receive a full scholarship to the Catholic University of America, graduating with a BA in Political Science. During school, he supported himself as a theater carpenter - often building the sets that he would later perform on.