In an Instagram post from December 31st, one fourth of the Impractical Jokers team, Joe Gatto announced that he’d be leaving the Jokers due to personal reasons.
Gatto sited that the main reason he’d be leaving the hit television show was because of his amicable split with his wife Bessy. Gatto explained that his main priority now is to “focus on being the best father and co-parent to our two incredible kids.”
In the post, Gatto made it very clear that he held no ill will towards the other three Jokers and the team involved with the show. This was solely his decision to part ways with the show.
Joe made sure to let the fans know that he was proud of what him and his best friends built over time and that he was very confident in how Sal, Murr, and Q would handle the direction of the show longterm.
This is a sad way to kickoff the year. My generation grew up going through middle school, high school, and college laughing along with the Jokers as they made a fool out of themselves in public.
I even saw the Jokers live show my sophomore year of high school. They were a huge part of growing up for me because this was a show that you could watch with your friends and with your family. It transcended age and demographic.
Super upsetting to see, but if this is what Joe thinks is best for him and his future, the Jokers fan base has got to understand and respect that. Thank you Joe.