Impractical Jokers is that one shows that almost anyone between the age range of 12-40 has heard about it at least once in their lives, and the majority are ones that have at least watched a full episode or seen some Youtube videos of it. The show follows four friends, Sal Vulcano, James Murray, Brian Quinn, and Joe Gatto, who come up with the most outlandish dares possible to give to any one of their members before setting out to prank bystanders with the concept and see if they fall for it. This process also repeats in the next episode, and each time, none of these dares hold back, often giving the audience second-hand embarrassment from just watching it.
Despite the dares and how each member never seems used to going forward with them, their superb acting skills really shine through in those moments, which would make most of us cringe at just being in its proximity. The Impractical Jokers cast is a comedy troupe called themselves ‘The Tenderloins’ that performed comedic videos and uploaded them onto the internet. No one, not even them, knew how big of a success it would be until they went viral and eventually got their own show on truTV.
The group had its greatest run for nearly a decade until one of its core members, Joe Gatto, made the shocking decision to leave the show once and for all.
What Was The Reason He Wanted To Leave?
Joe Gatto is active on Instagram and interacts with his fans on occasion, doing so even when he announced his departure from the group. According to his message, it seems that none of it had anything to do with any tensions within the group (they still get along great!) and was more due to personal reasons. On Instagram, he’d first apologized to his fans for his more serious than usual message, which, understandably, did freak out many of his followers.
His Instagram message was more or less a letter to his fans and viewers of Impractical Jokers about why he was leaving and his plans forward. He talked about his separation from his wife and how he needed to be more present for his children now that things were moving faster. His note ends with an amicable message that struck the hearts of Impractical Jokers fans. Despite citing his reasons for leaving, viewers still begged him to come back, exhibiting how much he was really appreciated on the show.
It’s no surprise that time passes and things change, and so, when Joe and his wife separated, perhaps it seemed natural to take up more personal duties, not just for himself but for his children too.
How the Rest of the Cast Reacted
In an interview with writer Scott King, the remaining three members of the cast of Impractical Jokers were questioned about their thoughts of Joe leaving them and how their relationship with Joe Gatto is off-screen.
“Our relationship with Joe has not changed an iota.” Brian Quinn reveals, a little surprised by the question. “I talk to him almost every day. Personal-wise there’s not a single change, really. He’s still our best friend. We love him, and we still rely on him so much.”
Sal agreed wholeheartedly with Quinn on this as well. “I talked to him last night. I don’t know why the perception is—I guess there is no perception with people online. They just see us on the show together and have no idea what’s going on. Unfortunately, he’s not on set, but everything’s still the same in our lives.”
“I had dinner with him on Monday, so I hope we’re communicating.” James Murray quipped in humorously at the end, eliciting some laughter.
Though Joe left the group, it’s thankfully revealed that none of them have stopped meeting up and still get along as great as always. He continues actively participating in his podcast along with Steve Byrne on Two Cool Moms. Though the members opened up about how they felt like something was missing on set without him, despite communicating with him frequently, it is obvious to us, as much as it is to anyone, how appreciated Joe Gatto was on Impractical Jokers.
