In the early 1980s Higgins was a theatre instructor with Street 70, a theatre production company in
Rockville, Maryland that is now known as
Round House Theatre. He also taught voice and improvisation. In 1991, Higgins was featured in
Broadway's
La Bête, and in 2000 he was seen
Off-Broadway at
Second Stage Theatre in a production of
Edward Albee's
Tiny Alice. He also originated the title role in
Paul Rudnick's
Jeffrey Off-Broadway in 1993. Higgins's numerous television credits include recurring characters on
Ally McBeal, ''
Brother's Keeper, Boston Legal and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show. In Season 8 of Seinfeld'', he portrayed Elaine's boyfriend Kurt. He also played attorney Wayne Jarvis in five episodes of
Arrested Development. Higgins arranged the dense vocal harmonies sung by the nine-part ("neuftet") New Main Street Singers in 2003's
A Mighty Wind, a change from the writers' original concept of having the group sing in unison, leveraged by Higgins' musical talent. Higgins gained more recognition by being featured in the films
Fun with Dick and Jane,
Pitch Perfect and its sequels, and
The Break-Up, for which he also wrote vocal arrangements. His work as a voice actor includes the roles of Judge Mentok in
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, 2401 Penitent Tangent in
Halo 2, and
Riddler in
Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Higgins also portrayed
David Letterman in the
HBO TV film
The Late Shift. Higgins was seen in the pre-show video for the
Epcot attraction
Test Track. However, the ride was refurbished in 2012 and the pre-show room was removed. Higgins directs and appears on the stage from time to time as well. In 2004, he played
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in the American premiere of
David Hare's
Stuff Happens at the
Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. In 2003, he played the title role in
A. R. Gurney's
Big Bill at New York's
Lincoln Center Theater. Higgins has been featured in TV ads for
DirecTV, alongside fellow co-stars Christopher Guest and
Ed Begley Jr., and for
Old Navy. He also stars in the second season of
TNT's
Raising the Bar as an openly gay, rule-obsessed judge. Higgins took part in
The Suite Life on Deck, taking the role of the sinister and secluded Mr. Tipton. In 2011, Higgins was cast in
Happily Divorced opposite
Fran Drescher. He played Fran's gay ex-husband, Peter Lovett, a character based on Drescher's real-life ex-husband
Peter Marc Jacobson. In 2012, Higgins was cast as the voice of vain and eccentric businessman Iknik Blackstone Varrick in
The Legend of Korra. Higgins’s would receive acclaim for this role winning best vocal performance in a television series in a supporting role Action/Drama at the 2014 Behind the Voice Actor awards. From 2017 to 2018, Higgins starred as Chuck Pierce on the
NBC comedy series
Great News. Since 2012 Higgins has also served as the voice of the recurring character
Doug Wheeler on the show
''Bob's Burgers''. Occasionally providing other voices as well. Higgins would also gain recognition for his role alongside
Elizabeth Banks in the trilogy of
Pitch Perfect films, with their two characters serving as announcers during all 3 films. In 2017 Higgins was cast as Tod Crawford in the show
Tween Fest. He would receive praise for this role being nominated for a primetime Emmy in the Outstanding actor Award in a short comedy film or drama series category. Higgins became the host of the game show
America Says in 2018. The show originally ran for 5 seasons, going on break for four years, before returning for its sixth season on April 14, 2026. Coincidentally, he played a game show host 14 years earlier in a season 3 episode of the TV comedy/drama detective series
Monk. Since 2019, Higgins has appeared in TV commercials for Omaha-based
Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. In 2020, Higgins began appearing in a series of adverts for
123.ie, an Irish insurance company. Higgins played the role of Principal Toddman in the 2020
Peacock comedy series
Saved by the Bell, which was created by
Tracey Wigfield. Since 2021 Higgins has stared in multiple
Physicians Mutual commercials. He has continued to lend his voice in animated films and shows. In 2022 he voiced Warren Stone in the
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie. Higgins appeared on 2 episodes of
Celebrity Jeopardy! that same year. In 2023 Higgins became the host of the new iteration of the game show
Split Second. Also serving as executive producer. From 2023 to 2024 Higgins voiced Mayor Anchovy in ''
Baby Shark's Big Show!.'' ==Personal life==