Otunga is the son of a Kenyan father, Moses, and white American mother, Billie, both of whom were educators. He is the youngest of three children. He grew up in Elgin, Illinois. Otunga graduated from Larkin High School, with mostly A-grades. Otunga holds a Bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Illinois. Following his graduation, he moved to New York, where he worked at Columbia University as a lab manager in a cognitive neuroscience center. He later attended Harvard Law School, and passed the bar exam in Illinois . Following his graduation, he worked for the Sidley Austin LLP law firm.