Joe Gatto

Joseph Gatto was born on June 5, 1976, in Staten Island, New York City. He attended Monsignor Farrell High School, where he was a member of the Improvisation Club alongside James Murray, Sal Vulcano, and Brian Quinn. Gatto later pursued higher education at LIU Post, earning a degree in accounting. After four years apart following their college graduations, Gatto reunited with Murray, Vulcano, and Quinn to form the improvisational and sketch comedy troupe “The Tenderloins” in 1998. The group gained initial recognition by producing and sharing comedy sketches on platforms such as YouTube, Myspace, and Metacafe, accumulating millions of views. A significant early achievement for The Tenderloins was winning the $100,000 grand prize in the NBC “It’s Your Show” competition in 2007 with their sketch “Time Thugs.”

From 2011 to 2021, Gatto starred in the television series “Impractical Jokers” on TruTV, a show that premiered on December 15, 2011. The program quickly became the most popular show on TruTV, with its first season attracting over 32 million viewers. During his tenure with “Impractical Jokers,” Gatto also appeared in other related projects, including “Impractical Jokers: After Party” (2017–2021) and “Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party” (2020–2021). In 2019, he co-starred with The Tenderloins in “The Misery Index,” hosted by Jameela Jamil. The troupe also released “Impractical Jokers: The Movie” in 2020. Gatto made guest appearances in other television series such as “12 Monkeys” (2017) and “MacGyver” (2020), and lent his voice to “Loafy” (2020). He also published the book “The Dogfather: My Love for Dogs, Dessert and Growing Up Italian” in 2020, followed by a children’s book, “Where’s Bearry?” in 2024.

In December 2021, Gatto announced his departure from “Impractical Jokers” and The Tenderloins to focus on his personal life and co-parenting his children. Following this, he transitioned into a solo stand-up comedy career, which became a passion-driven endeavor. In March 2022, he began co-hosting the weekly “Two Cool Moms” podcast with comedian Steve Byrne. Gatto released his first comedy special, “Messing with People,” on September 17, 2024, followed by another television special, “Adam Ray Is Dr. Phil Unleashed,” in 2024. He has also made surprise guest appearances at “Impractical Jokers” live shows in Boston in 2023 and Hanover, Maryland, in 2024. Gatto is involved in advocacy, supporting the “Adopt, Don’t Shop” movement for pets and actively campaigning against bullying, including through various YouTube segments.