Holloway was born to Scottish parents in the California region that would later become known as Silicon Valley, and his family moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia when he was two. He has one sister and three brothers; he's the second boy. In addition to his immediate family, Josh has a large extended family that includes Baptist preacher Dr. Dale Holloway and author/WWII POW Carl Holloway.[citation needed] He also is the great-grandson of "Lula" Holloway who wrote a book sometime in the 20th century about the Holloway family. Holloway attended Free Home Elementary and Cherokee High School in Canton, Georgia. He developed an interest for movies at a very young age. He studied at the University of Georgia but quit after only one year to become a model.