After playing pranks on his friends for the past decade on TruTV, Joe Gatto is stepping away from Impractical Jokers. A founding member of the comedy group, the prankster announced on New Year’s Eve that he was officially exiting the show for personal reasons. As Gatto explains in the announcement, he and his wife have separated and he now wants to spend more time away from the show to focus on co-parenting his children.
“Sorry in advance for the long and more-serious-than-usual note below, I just wanted to let you all know that I will no longer be involved with Impractical Jokers,” Gatto wrote on Instagram. “Alongside my friends, I’ve devoted a decade of my life to building this franchise and couldn’t be prouder of what has been accomplished. However, due to some issues in my personal life, I have to step away. Bessy and I have decided to amicably part ways, so now I need to focus on being the best father and co-parent to our two incredible kids.”
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“Outside of my family, my relationships with Murr, Q and Sal have been the most important in my life,” he goes on to say, praising his fellow pranksters. “I know they will continue to make the world laugh. And even though the four of us are the ones who you all see, this show is only possible due to the hard work of the talented crew members who work behind the scenes. I am very thankful to have worked with each and every one of them.”
He adds: “To all of the amazing fans, thank you for allowing me to make you laugh with Jokers. They say that laughter is the best medicine, and I hope I’ve been able to provide some of that over the last decade. Seeing you laugh has been my own medicine, particularly in these weird and difficult times we find ourselves. As I work through the challenges I am facing, I hope to and am excited to create new ways to entertain you.”
Impractical Jokers follows four longtime friends as they make each other endure elaborate pranks, typically humiliating themselves in creative ways in front of strangers. The show was just renewed for a tenth season last fall and the plan is to start filming a “new chapter” this month. Another statement was released by the remaining founding members wishing Joe well while confirming their intent to continue on without him.
“Hi everyone, so here we are…After all these years together, we never imagined making Impractical Jokers without Joe,” reads a joint statement from Brian “Q” Quinn, James “Murr” Murray, and Sal Vulcano. “While we are saddened to see him go, we want to keep making people laugh, keep our relationship working with the members of our team that we consider family. With the support of our fans, we’ll get back to making a new chapter of Impractical Jokers in January.”
Impractical Jokers doesn’t yet have an official premiere date set for season 10 on TruTV.
