Joseph Anthony Gatto Jr. (born June 5, 1976) is an American improvisational comedian, actor, and producer from the New York City borough of Staten Island. He was a member of the Tenderloins, a comedy troupe consisting of Sal Vulcano, James Murray, and Brian Quinn. Along with the other members of the Tenderloins, he starred in the television series Impractical Jokers, which first aired on December 15, 2011, on TruTV.

Joe Gatto
Gatto in 2017
Born	Joseph Anthony Gatto Jr. (1976-06-05) June 5, 1976 (age 46) New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	LIU Post (BS)
Occupation	Comedian actor
Years active	1998–present
Spouse	Bessy Haggar ​ ​ (m. 2013; sep. 2021)​
Children	2

Early life

Gatto was born in Staten Island and is of Italian descent.[1] Gatto attended Monsignor Farrell High School.[2] Along with Murray, Vulcano, and Quinn, he was a member of his high school's Improvisation Club.[3] He studied at LIU Post, where he received a degree in accounting.[4] Gatto's father died in 1995 from undisclosed causes. A popular rumor is that he died of alcoholism, although Gatto has pronounced this claim false.[5]

Career

Early career

After being apart for years, Murray, Gatto, and Vulcano reunited after graduating from college and began practicing improvisation at Gatto's house, going on to tour as an improv and sketch comedy troupe in 1998, calling themselves the Tenderloins.

The Tenderloins began producing comedy sketches together, posting them on YouTube, Myspace, and Metacafe, accumulating millions of views online. In 2007, the troupe won the $100,000 grand prize in the NBC It's Your Show competition for the sketch "Time Thugs".[6]

Impractical Jokers and other television shows

Impractical Jokers premiered on December 15, 2011 on TruTV. The first season was watched by over 32 million viewers. The show quickly became the most popular series on TruTV and has boosted Gatto into the public eye.

In 2019, Gatto, along with the other members of the Tenderloins, starred in The Misery Index, which is hosted by Jameela Jamil and is based on Andy Breckman's card game "Shit Happens".[7]

Impractical Jokers: The Movie was released on February 21, 2020.

On December 31, 2021, Gatto announced he was stepping away from Impractical Jokers and the Tenderloins to focus more on co-parenting his children, after a split with his wife.[8][9]

The Tenderloins Podcast

The Tenderloins began hosting a podcast in April 2012. It is available on their official website and on iTunes.

Personal life

Gatto and his former wife, Bessy, have two children, daughter Milana (born 2015) and son Remington (born 2017).[10][11] Gatto is an advocate for the "Adopt, Don't Shop" movement, encouraging people to adopt pets from shelters rather than purchase them from breeders. They have had multiple dogs.[12][13]

On December 31, 2021, Gatto announced that he was leaving the Impractical Jokers, and would be focusing on his family issues: "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."[14]

Joe Gatto is an active anti-bullying campaigner and has hosted many anti-bullying related contents including various youtube segments on the issue.[15]

References

External links

• Joe Gatto at IMDb

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