The Cancer Boy character was a rather contentious part of the movie. A Paramount executive, who had a loved one suffering from cancer, was so offended by Cancer Boy when a rough cut was shown they demanded the character be removed from the film, but the Kids adamantly refused. The executive would get revenge by making sure the film had a limited theatrical release with little advertisements. Looking back, the Kids would admit that Cancer Boy ended up killing the film's chances financially, with Dave Foley and Kevin McDonald feeling they should have just relented and cut the scene so the movie would have gotten a wider release while Scott Thompson, Bruce McCulloch and Mark McKinney do not regret it artistically, feeling that Cancer Boy is a biting satire of celebrities who exploit sick children for publicity.
Dave Foley originally had a much larger role in the writing of the script and in the film, with more characters and scenes. But he quit the troupe in the middle of the writing, due to his dissatisfaction with the script and the internal feuds, was cast in NewsRadio (1995) and was featured in the movie due to contractual reasons. After years of denial from the five Kids, Dave Foley came clear about his involvement with "Brain Candy" in an interview with "The Onion A.V. Club" in 2004.
The first episode of the Kids in the Hall 2022 revival begins with a sketch parodying Brain Candy's commercial failure and mixed critical reception. The sketch features a woman buying a copy of the film at a yard sale for one dollar (Canadian), which causes the film to break even financially after 26 years. The purchase in turn lifts a curse that Satan puts on the cast in the original series finale.
The music that plays in the elevator as Dr. Cooper goes to meet the executives is The Tragically Hip's 'Butts Wigglin' from their '95 album Trouble at the Henhouse. Though the lyrics are not heard, the song contains the line 'In my opinion, the drug is ready', which is exactly what Dr. Cooper tells his bosses, despite his reservations and uncertainties on that matter.
Mark McKinney's character, Don Roritor (the head of the the drug company), is based on Lorne Michaels, producer of The Kids in the Hall (1988).