Joe Gatto’s unexpected exit from Impractical Jokers is one of the top television stories of the year thus far, as fans wonder how The Tenderloins’ truTV show will fair without one of their founding members. We’ve heard from some of the remaining cast about the situation thus far and, now it seems that Joe Gatto reportedly referenced the situation and his divorce briefly during a stand-up appearance.
The comedian did a show at the Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center in Davenport, Iowa recently, during which he was faced with a fan question. US Weekly reported the references were made when the attendee asked him, “How’s life going?” in the midst of the performance. The eyewitness shared the gist of Joe Gatto’s sarcastic response, which feels pretty on-brand for him:
He was like, ‘Pretty fucking fantastic.’
The fan went on to note that the comedian was upbeat and smiled throughout the entire night. As far as the joke, it was allegedly the only time he seemingly referenced his marriage or his exit from Impractical Jokers the entire night. Most of the content related of the show mainly focused on his dogs as opposed to the headline-making news surrounding him.
Joe Gatto’s potentially perky demeanor at a stand-up event isn’t all that surprising, especially given what’s known about his Impractical Jokers decision. Gatto announced that he was leaving the show in order to effectively co-parent with his children, now that he and his wife of eight years, Bessy, had split. Gatto told fans he’d find other ways of interacting with those that support him outside of the show, which this stand-up show might be an example of.
It’s also worth to note that the star has nothing but support from the rest of The Tenderloins crew, with whom he’s been friends for quite some time. Joe Gatto met James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Sal Vulcano in religion class way back in high school in Staten Island, and they’ve been thick as thieves in their friendship and comedic endeavors ever since. It wasn’t surprising to see the level of support he’s gotten from his friends, even if he’s no longer a part of the show.
Perhaps the best news out of this alleged update is that there doesn’t seem to be some underlying narrative that hasn’t reached the public regarding the situation. Should that remain true, at least fans of the show and The Tenderloins can take solace in the level of transparency and how all parties have split without any kind of public drama. That’s the best anyone can hope for in situations like this, even if they’d rather the comic never left the series.
Though Joe Gatto is out of Impractical Jokers, a new season is still in development with the remaining cast. I’m eager to see how that plays out and how the prank show presses on without Gatto and continues to deliver laughs to viewers.
