Impractical Jokers’ Joe Gatto cancels tour and enters facility after sexual assault allegations
Joe Gatto, one of the founding members of the prank show Impractical Jokers, has cancelled his upcoming tour and entered an inpatient facility after multiple women accused him of sexual assault.
Allegations regarding the 48-year-old comedian went viral on TikTok over the weekend.
In a statement to People, Gatto said: “Having taken some time to reflect, l’ve decided to voluntarily enter an inpatient program to continue working on myself.
“I just want to thank my friends, fans and especially my family for all of their support — never more so than over the last few days.”
A TikTok user, who posted under the name joozyb, had accused him of sexual assault. She said she met Gatto in Milwaukee in 2023 when she was 19. She claimed that she began texting him after approaching him in a restaurant in the hopes of getting a free ticket to his show.
Gatto allegedly gave her a pair of tickets and the two continued to exchange texts after his gig. She claimed that he eventually invited her to his hotel room and that she went, at which time “some stuff happened.”
She declined to go into detail about what occurred, but shared screenshots purportedly showing exchanges with the comedian, as well as a bruise that she claimed he gave her.
“I got sexually assaulted by Joe Gatto, the Impractical Joker,” Joozy claimed in one of her subsequent posts that day. The main post about her allegations has received more than eight million views.
According to People, a second accuser who was previously employed by Gatto said he inappropriately grabbed her. She said they met when she was 15 and he became flirtatious as soon as she turned 18.
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In his statement denying the allegations, Gatto said: “I have used poor judgment and as a result have violated the trust of the people I love most. But anyone who knows me at all knows full well that I wouldn’t assault anyone.
“Working on myself is an ongoing process, and I am now going to take some time away from the public eye to focus my energies where I need to.”
The comedian was one of the founding members of the Impractical Jokers show, which ran on truTV and earned a sizeable fandom. He began on the show in 2011 and appeared in more than 240 episodes as well at a movie version of the show.
He eventually left the prank show in 2021.
At the time of his departure, Gatto cited “issues in my personal life” and announced he and his wife, Bessy, were splitting up.
Gatto and his wife got back together in 2023.
