When the seventh season of Impractical Jokers premiered in 2018, instead of the gang’s hilarious pranks, viewers were buzzing about Joe Gatto‘s weight loss. The comedian dropped nearly 40 pounds — and looked better than ever!
So, what made Joe lose the weight? According to the prankster, he was inspired by his kids, daughter Milana, born in 2015, and son Remington, who arrived in July 2017. “I wanted to be able to be a bit healthier to have more energy to keep up with them,” he told Life & Style exclusively in a March 2018 interview.
“Playing with my daughter, I sat down because I couldn’t chase her anymore and she said, ‘Please, Daddy. I love playing with you’ and I couldn’t catch my breath. I just couldn’t. I was heaving, trying to catch my breath and looking at my adorable little girl with her puppy dog eyes pleading with her father to play. And I said, ‘No more!'” Joe continued, adding another reason, “Also, my clothes didn’t fit me well. So, I decided to make a serious change.”
Joe, who became a pescatarian in 2016, went on to explain how he dropped six pant sizes by just changing his eating habits. “That definitely helped with the energy as it forced me to eat more vegetables and fruits. I also stopped drinking calories,” he said of his diet. “I would always drink iced teas and lemonades and sodas while filming. Now it’s only water and coffee. But I think the biggest thing was portion control. I started eating literally half of my meals.”
He continued, “It’s been life-changing honestly. I feel amazing. This is all the result of just changing my eating habits.” Plus, didn’t have to worry about his friends and costars, James “Murr” Murray, Brian “Q” Quinn and Sal Vulcano, teasing him about his weight. “They miss my belly because it’s harder to use my body against me,” he added.
Joe managed to keep the weight off, looking slim and trim when he announced in late December 2021 that he was leaving the show after nine seasons … as well as splitting from his wife, Bessy.
In a December 31 Instagram post, the comedian wrote, “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.” He then added of his wife of eight years, “Bessy and I have decided to amicably part ways, so now I need to focus on being the best father and coparent to our two incredible kids.”
Scroll down for before and after photos of Joe’s weight loss.