Joe Gatto was one of the core four on Impractical Jokers for nine seasons. The 48-year-old and the other members of the comedy troupe The Tenderloins launched the improv-based reality series in December 2011. But Joe shocked the fans when he announced his exit from the show halfway through season 9 in December 2021. Joe enjoyed unimaginable success on the show with James Murray, Brian Quinn, and Sal Vulcano, but he still chose to move on from the experience due to “issues” going on in his personal life.
So, why did Joe Gatto leave Impractical Jokers? Here’s everything you need to know about the improv comedian and his exit from the show that made him famous.
Joe Gatto is an improvisational comedian, actor, and producer. He was born on June 5, 1976 in Staten Island to an Italian family. His father died in 1995 from pancreatic cancer. When Joe was in high school, he joined the Improvisation Club which is how he met James, Brian, and Sal. The foursome eventually reunited after college and formed an improv and sketch comedy trouble called The Tenderloins in 1998. They produced their content on YouTube and Myspace before they won $100,000 for competing in NBC’s It’s Your Show competition, for their sketch “Time Thugs.” Joe and his fellow Tenderloins members were offered their own show with truTV… and Impractical Jokers was born.
Impractical Jokers was a huge hit from the very first episode, which aired December 15, 2011. The show was celebrated for its humor and the concept of using hidden cameras to capture the pranks on the show. Joe, James, Brian, and Sal all shot to fame after the show premiered. Through the first nine seasons, the series welcomed tons of celebrity guests including Joey Fatone, Howie Mandel, Danica McKellar, Guy Fieri, and Brooke Shields. There was also a feature film that came out in February 2020 and grossed $10 million at the box office.
In a 2018 interview with MassLive, Joe talked about the success of the show and how the concept was conceived by all four members of The Tenderloins. “We thought what could we do make our version of what would be a hidden camera comedy show. We didn’t like to do the traditional prank show where we felt bad for people having jokes pulled on them,” he said. “We thought why don’t we just make ourselves the marks of the show. Have our three friends turn the screws on each of us and let the collateral embarrassment be the source of the comedy.”
The success of Impractical Jokers also led to The Tenderloins getting their own game show called The Misery Index. The series, hosted by actress Jameela Jamil, aired on TBS for three seasons from 2019 to 2021. It featured two teams competing against each other by rating their hilarious and miserable real-life events on a scale of 1-100.
On December 31, 2021, Joe announced that he was leaving Impractical Jokers to focus on his family life. He revealed that he and his wife Bessy Gatto were separating, so he needed to be more present for his daughter Milana (born 2015) and son Remington (born 2017). Joe shared the news in an Instagram post that took fans by complete surprise.
