Why Did Impractical Jokers' Joe Gatto Quit? Clues It's a Joke

Fans were shocked when Joe Gatto announced he was leaving Impractical Jokers after over a decade with the comedy troupe, but some people aren’t convinced he’s *really* exiting the series because of a few cryptic clues.

The Statement About Joe’s Exit

After Joe, 45, revealed he would be stepping away from the reality series, which he has been a part of since 2011, because of his split from wife Bessy Gatto, costars Sal Vulcano, James Murray and Brian Quinn released a joint statement on their respective social media accounts about the news.

Why Did Impractical Jokers' Joe Gatto Quit? Clues It's a Joke — Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

“After all these years together, we never imagined making Impractical Jokers without Joe,” the statement read on December 31. “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.”

However, some fans thought the message was far too impersonal and seemed suspicious for such a major change to Impractical Jokers.

“Nope, nope, nope … What episode will this be on? Fan punishment. Refuse to believe it,” one user wrote on Twitter. “Not falling for this, but this is definitely a brutal punishment for sure,” someone else added. “The guys know how much you love your wife and job, so this has to be a punishment that will last just for the rest of season,” a separate tweet read.

Joe and Bessy Still Appear Friendly

Joe pointed to ending his marriage as the reason for his exit via Instagram. “Due to some issues in my personal life, I have to step away,” part of his statement read. “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 Bessy wed in September 2013.

Not only do the husband and wife, who share daughter Milana and son Remington, still follow each other on Instagram, but the comedian gushed over Bessy on December 19.

Why Did Impractical Jokers' Joe Gatto Quit? Clues It's a Joke Bessy Divorce — Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

“Momma of the pack. Such a big, beautiful heart on this wife of mine,” Joe captioned a sweet photo of Bessy lounging with their rescue dogs.

Considering the post praising his wife and the announcement of their divorce came less than a month apart, it seemed like too quick of a turnover for their relationship to go downhill.

For her part, Bessy shared a cryptic TikTok about being “broken” on January 4, days after Joe announced their uncoupling.

Is This a Punishment for the New Season of Impractical Jokers?

Season 10 has already been greenlit by the network. Although an official premiere date has not been announced, new seasons have historically premiered in February.

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“We’re proud to be the home, where the guys can continue to flex their creative muscles, continue to evolve their comedy and build new IP that we can introduce into the larger WarnerMedia family,” Brett Weitz, General Manager of truTV, told Deadline.

Since filming most likely happened months in advance, it’s very probable that Joe will appear. Will this situation turn out to be a major punishment? Time will tell.