From interviews and sentiments shared by the hosts of Impractical Jokers, it seems the four co-hosts, who met in high school, are really friends.
The upcoming milestone tenth season of Impractical Jokers, set to commence in April 2022, is going to be quite different.
The season will mark the first season without one of the original members and co-hosts of the show, Joe Gatto, who is taking time away from the show to focus on his family matters.
The news may have been a surprise for fans of the series, but it must have been an even bigger surprise for his co-hosts and real life friends, James ‘Murr’ Murray, Brian ‘Q’ Quinn, and Sal Vulcano.
This is because the show was jointly created by them, and before that, the friends, who met in high school, were a comedy troupe called The Tenderloins.
What is Impractical Jokers?
Impractical Jokers is truTVs’ flagship show that first premiered on the channel in December 2011.
The candid, camera and prank reality format show was created by the four hosts, with the premise being, “Comedians Joe Gatto, James ‘Murr’ Murray, Brian ‘Q’ Quinn, and Sal Vulcano are real-life best friends who love challenging each other to the most outrageous dares and stunts ever caught on hidden camera.”
At the end of each episode, the comedian with the lowest score of dares or pranks completed, has to face a punishment, which is usually a comical dare that they cannot decline fulfilling.
Are the Impractical Jokers really friends?
The Impractical Jokers are actually real-life friends. Their friendship started long before they even had the idea of the show.
Joe Gatto, James ‘Murr’ Murray, Brian ‘Q’ Quinn, and Sal Vulcano first met when they attended Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island, New York, together.
Moreover, after high school and before their success with Impractical Jokers, Joe and Murr shared an apartment in New York.
It was there, while they were all having lunch one day, that they developed the idea for Impractical Jokers. They used their iPhones to create sizzle reels, which they assembled to make the pilot of the show.
They initially pitched the show to Spike TV, but it was truTV that picked it up, making the announcement in April 2011, eight months before the first episode would air in December 2011.
Impractical Jokers’ Joe Gatto says goodbye to co-hosts and friends
At the beginning of 2022, Joe Gatto announced that he was not going to come back for season 10, as he and his wife Bessy were going through a divorce, and he wanted to spend the time working on being co-parents.
In his touching post, he shared a dedication to his friends and Impractical Jokers’ co-hosts, writing:
“Outside of my family, my relationships with Murr, Q and Sal have been the most important in my life. I know they will continue to make the world laugh.
And even though the four of us are the ones who you all see, this show is only possible due to the hard work of the talented crew members who work behind the scenes. I am very thankful to have worked with each and every one of them.”
Remaining co-hosts of Impractical Jokers on Joe’s exit
In the Instagram post confirming his departure from the show, Gatto also affirmed his continued support for Q, Murr and Sal, who will continue to be the hosts of the series.
In response, the three shared a joint statement affirming that the show would continue. They wrote, “After all these years together, we never imagined making Impractical Jokers without Joe.”
Going on to write, “While we are saddened to see him go, we want to keep making people laugh, keep our relationship with our Impractical Jokers fans going, and keep working with members of our team that we consider family.”
Will Impractical Jokers replace Joe Gatto?
The formation of Impractical Jokers is hinged on the co-hosts all being childhood friends, who not only created the series together, but also established their comedy careers together as the comedy troupe, The Tenderloins.
If the production were to announce that Joe would be replaced, it would possibly change how viewers relate or think about the show.
Luckily, it has been confirmed that the tenth season will feature celebrity guest appearances instead. This may suggest that the show is leaving room for Joe to return in the future, should he feel that he is ready, and has resolved his personal matters.
Final thoughts
Impractical Jokers’ four-man formation has been one that has anchored the show, as we have watched comedians and real-life friends Joe, Q, Murr and Sal produce some of the funniest pranks on cable television.
But the upcoming tenth season will be different, since co-host, Joe, is not returning to the show.
While the news of Joe not returning may have been tough for fans to come to terms with, it must have been even more difficult news to process for his friends and co-hosts, seeing as they started the show together.
This is besides the fact that they have been friends since high school, and established their comedy careers together throughout the years.