Justin Hires

Justin Hires was born on June 24, 1985, in St. Petersburg, Florida. His mother, Barbara Hires, worked as an Area 2 superintendent for the schools of Pinellas County. He attended Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he graduated. Hires continued his education at Clark Atlanta University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. During his college years, he began his acting career, securing minor roles in feature films like “The Gospel” (2005) and “Stomp the Yard” (2007). He also DJ’d for the college radio station, which led to him becoming a VJ for the MTVU network. These early experiences set the foundation for his future endeavors in entertainment.

Following college, Hires appeared in the series “Disaster Date” (2009-2011) and gained recognition for his online content, including a popular internet spoof of Chris Brown’s video called “Douche It” (2010). He then segued into sketch comedy, appearing in “In the Flow with Affion Crockett” (2011), executive produced by Jamie Foxx, and making multiple appearances on “Key & Peele” (2012-2015). A significant film role came with his supporting performance as Juario in “21 Jump Street” (2012). In 2014, he joined the core cast of the hidden camera comedy show “Jerks With Cameras.” His career saw a major turning point when he was cast as Detective James Carter in the CBS television series “Rush Hour” (2016), a main role across 13 episodes.

After “Rush Hour,” Hires continued his television prominence by securing a main role as Wilt Bozer in the “MacGyver” reboot series (2016-2021), appearing in 94 episodes. His voice acting credits include “The Lion Guard” (2018), where he voiced Hodari. More recently, he expanded his creative contributions by writing and starring as Curtis in the Universal Pictures film “Half Baked: Totally High” (2024). This project showcases his versatility as both an actor and a writer, marking another milestone in his career.