During his adolescence, Darby Allin, pseudonym of Samuel Ratsch, devoted himself to athletics, later took up playing American football because of one of his grandparents, a former NFL player. He later attended film school in Arizona, but dropped out to pursue a career in skateboarding.

After meeting Matt Schlager, Ratsch often appeared with his friends in videos on Ridiculousness, until one video was released because it was deemed too extreme to be broadcast. He also appeared in a US reality show, Se x Sent Me To The Er, later admitting in an interview that the story he told was made up because he needed the money. For about three years, Ratsch was homeless.

On November 21, 2018, he married his colleague Priscilla Kelly. The couple divorced on August 10, 2020, while remaining on good terms.