The cast of Impractical Jokers has changed a whole lot since the start of their TruTV reality show. Brian “Q” Quinn, Joe Gatto, James “Murry” Murray and Sal Vulcano have known one another since they met in high school — more than a decade before their show premiered on December 15, 2011. After forming their comedy troupe, The Tenderloins, the pranksters jumped from different sketch comedies and improvisational TV shows until they found success with Impractical Jokers.
After a decade of bringing laughs to their viewers, Joe decided to leave the show due to “issues” in his “personal life,” as he mentioned in his Instagram announcement that was posted on December 31, 2021.
“I just wanted to let you all know that I will no longer be involved with Impractical Jokers,” Joe captioned his 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 coparent to our two incredible kids.”
Joe and now-estranged wife Bessy Gatto married in 2013 and share children Milana and Remington Gatto together.
Despite his exit from the show, Joe mentioned his “relationships with Murr, Q and Sal have been the most important in my life,” per his Instagram post. He then thanked the show’s loyal fans in his touching farewell statement.
“To all of the amazing fans, thank you for allowing me to make you laugh with Jokers. They say that laughter is the best medicine, and I hope I’ve been able to provide some of that over the last decade. Seeing you laugh has been my own medicine, particular in these weird and difficult times we find ourselves in.”
Following Joe’s announcement, Brian, Q and Sal shared a joint statement on their respective Instagram pages that day, vowing to continue their show.
“Hi everyone, so here we are,” their post read. “After all these years together, we never imagined making Impractical Jokers without Joe. While we are saddened to see him go, 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. With the support of our fans, we’ll get back to making a new chapter of Impractical Jokers in January.”
Even though the show is now down to three stars, the four comedians have been fan-favorites since the start of Impractical Jokers.
Scroll through the gallery to see how much the cast has changed over the years.