[3] Joe Pera was born in Buffalo, New York and raised in the suburb of Amherst.

[7] He moved to New York City to pursue comedy and participated in open mic nights as often as possible.

[9] This was followed by an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, and another stand-alone Adult Swim special titled Joe Pera Helps You Find the Perfect Christmas Tree.

On March 3, 2023, Joe made a brief appearance on EHFM's Radio show "No Dancing",[15] where he discussed his thoughts on moving slowly and reflectively and shared a piece of music he was working on.

[16][17] In a video to his YouTube channel, Pera endorsed Democratic candidate India Walton for mayor of Buffalo, New York in the 2021 election.