Joe Gatto, one of the four stars of TruTV’s hit reality series Impractical Jokers, announced on New Year’s Eve that he would be leaving the franchise entirely. This came as a surprise to fans around the world, but it seems the story isn’t over. Since Gatto announced his exit, his face and name have been steadily removed from the show’s websites and social channels. It also appears that some of the sketches including Gatto are being removed as well.
Videos by ComicBook.com
According to Paste, episodes of Impractical Jokers that feature Gatto in “compromising situations” have been removed from the TruTV site, as well as HBO Max, where the series is available to stream. The removed episodes include skits that show Gatto massaging and kissing unknowing strangers as part of a prank.
There hasn’t yet been any reason given for the removal of these episodes and videos, but there would be more to unfold in the coming days and weeks.
The initial statement from Gatto, which was posted on his Instagram account, didn’t give any indication that he’d been fired from the series. According to the comedian, he and his wife made the decision to separate, and he wanted to step away from the show to focus on his personal life.
“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 in the post. “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.”
The other three members of the comedy troupe — James “Murr” Murray, Brian “Q” Quinn, Sal Vulcano — shared a joint statement on their social media accounts after Gatto announced his exit.
“Hi everyone, so here we are,” the trio said in the statement. “After all these years together, we never imagined making Impractical Jokers without Joe. While 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.”
