For a decade, Joe Gatto was a key member of “Impractical Jokers,” a nutty prank show that became a basic cable phenomenon on truTV.
But all the time taken up shooting the show and touring with his three childhood friends took a toll on Gatto’s marriage, so he stepped away in 2021 partway through the ninth season. He has since been able to reconcile with his wife Bessy, spend more time with his two young kids and put his energy into his podcast and stand-up comedy.
He is making his second solo stand-up stop in Atlanta at Atlanta Symphony Hall on Saturday.
“My wife and I worked it out, which is great,” said Gatto in a recent phone interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution from his home on Long Island. “I’ve been able to focus on the family, be a better husband, a better father and a better person all the way around.”
He explained that “Impractical Jokers” had become all-consuming. He was not only a participant but an executive producer. “I was there from the first joke to the last edit,” he said.
But leaving the troupe didn’t mean his friendships with his former castmates ― James “Murr” Murray, Brian “Q” Quinn and Sal Vulcano ― ended.
“We talk a lot, just not on camera,” Gatto said. As for a possible reunion, “I don’t even know if they need it or want it right now. It’s not like we did it for a year. We did it for a decade. That was plenty of time. I’m glad to make such an impact and leave a good legacy.”
Indeed, “Impractical Jokers” has lived on with Murr, Q and Sal taping more seasons, occasionally bringing in a celebrity such as Joey Fatone and Brooke Shields. Repeats continue to run on truTV with new episodes airing on TBS. Streaming service Max also offers most past episodes.
Gatto’s antics have been considered by many hard-core fans as the most outrageous, his willingness to do anything for a laugh arguably greater than his former castmates. He would shamelessly steal food off people’s plates at a buffet or gamely open a toilet door at a café and ask patrons for toilet paper.
He said folks still come up to him and say, “Scoopski potatoes!” This is what Gatto yelped in a cheery singsong voice during a challenge where he gleefully threw scoops of mashed potatoes onto people’s plates at a restaurant. “People imitate me and send me videos over Thanksgiving,” he said.
Gatto also said fans often yell “Larry!” at him. That became a default name Gatto would yell out on the show to cut in front of people in a line or just to get a laugh. And he said people still love the time he played a “flying” genie on the stage of a fake play where he was hooked to a rope that hoisted him into the air and comically crashed him into various set pieces.
Sadly, despite such bruising skits, he receives no residual checks from repeats of “Impractical Jokers.” “That’s basic cable for you,” he said, resigned.
His live solo show involves no gratuitous nudity or humiliating punishments. It’s Gatto telling stories and cracking jokes about his life. You can get a taste of his style by watching his free 2023 YouTube special “Messing With People.”
“I like making my show an event,” he said. “I want them to have a good time and forget the craziness of the world.”
He has also been doing a weekly podcast the last three years with fellow comic Steve Byrne called “Two Cool Moms,” named after their moms who are always giving them advice. They gab about random topics, provide advice to listeners and bring in occasional guests such as Michael Strahan and Chris Kirkpatrick of pop group NSYNC fame. The latest episode features Gatto’s former colleague “Q.”
Gatto, who acts like a perpetual kid, never stops having fun with his two children. When they got into the movie “Home Alone,” for instance, they shot a two-minute video version of the movie. “I played both the parent and the robbers,” he said.
His goofball nature clashed with the major he chose in college: accounting. “I knew I picked the wrong degree,” he said. “I never pursued it, thank goodness. I did consulting and sales before I got into comedy. I don’t even do my own taxes!”
Now Gatto lives in a chaotic home with about a dozen small dogs all named after Italian foods like Biscotti and Cannoli.
“We run an animal rescue,” he said. “It ain’t cheap! I’m basically out here working for the dogs! But I love them. They make me think about someone other than myself.”
IF YOU GO
Joe Gatto
7 p.m. Saturday. $25. Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, www.ticketmaster.com
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