‘Impractical Jokers’: The Jokers Address Whether Joe Gatto Will Ever Return to the Show
Impractical Jokers Season 9 is the end of the road for Joe Gatto. A founding member of The Tenderloins comedy troupe featured in the show, Gatto became a fan favorite as a daredevil willing to take on almost any challenge. He made the shocking decision in December of 2021 to step away from TV. But viewers remain hopeful that he’ll return one day.
Although there aren’t active plans to bring him back, James Murray, Brian Quinn, and Sal Vulcano acknowledge that anything is possible.
James Murray, Brian Quinn, and Sal Vulcano opened up about the possibility of Joe Gatto returning to ‘Impractical Jokers’
The jokers were asked about the chance of Gatto returning in an interview with Us Weekly.
“You never know what the future holds,” Vulcano replied, with Quinn agreeing. “I mean, we have to make sure we’re coming back. [Laughs] You know, first, tackle that and then down the line, who knows? We’re just taking it day by day right now.”
Murray added: “In the universe of infinite possibilities, all things are possible.”
Joe Gatto left ‘Impractical Jokers’ after nine seasons
Gatto shocked fans when he announced his departure from the show. He shared the news in a “more-serious-than-usual” note on his Instagram page, citing personal issues. Specifically, he and his wife Bessy Gatto had separated, and he needed time “to focus on being the best father and co-parent to our two incredible kids.”
“Outside of my family, my relationships with Murr, Q, and Sal have been the most important in my life. I know they will continue to make the world laugh,” he wrote in part.
While his co-stars were “saddened to see him go,” they decided to continue the show for their fans. “We want to keep making people laugh, keep our relationship with the ‘Impractical Jokers’ fans going, and keep working with the members of our team that we consider family,” they said in a joint statement.
The show has made big changes to make up for his absence
Since then, Impractical Jokers has undergone big changes. Notably, the show will now feature a celebrity guest in each episode to assist with punishments. David Cross, Chris Jericho, Colin Jost, Method Man, and Brooke Shields are among those who will make appearances when the show returns in June. Vulcano talked about the selection process, explaining that they picked celebrities they already knew and were “interesting” to them.
“The way that we selected it was, the guests were people we really were excited to do something with and thought were interesting, not just like any old bookings,” he said. “So a lot of the guests, we had a relationship with already. I think that came through. And I think because of that, they were ready to just take the bull by the horns. And so a lot of the punishments, we literally built out around them and their skillsets.”
TruTV gave a preview of what’s to come on April 2 when it released a special episode with Eric André. The episode is available to stream now for anyone who missed it.
