On December 31, comedian Joe Gatto announced that he would be leaving the show Impractical Jokers, leaving the rest of the “jokers,” Sal Vulcano, James “Murr” Murray and Brian “Q” Quinn on the show without him. Gatto said in an Instagram post, “Bessy [his ex wife] and I have decided to part ways, so now I need to focus on being the best father and co-parent to our two incredible kids.”

Impractical Jokers was released in 2011 and is an ongoing show that has been on for nine seasons. The four, now three, jokers have hidden cameras and go into places like grocery stores or restaurants and tell each other what to do. If they say no, don’t complete the dare or lose the challenge they were given, they lose that round. In each episode, whoever has the most losses is deemed “tonight’s biggest loser” and is given a challenge or dare that they have to do no matter what.

With the recent news, fans have become devastated due to the loss of what might have been their favorite joker. Gatto was the favorite to many viewers and many say he was the funniest joker.

“I am truly just heartbroken over Joe’s departure from the show. Impractical Jokers is one of the best creations of mankind. When I heard that Joe was leaving the show, I was in shock. It gets a little better each day, but my heart is still shattered,” senior Grace White says.

White had stated that even though Vulcano was her favorite joker, Gatto gave so much comedic effect to the show and made the show better each episode. One of the most popular acts Gatto has had was running through a grocery store during his turn in the episode screaming “Larry,” pretending to look for him. Viewers watch the store and find that looking for Larry was a comical sight.

“Joe was the favorite of many. Hopefully they will not try and replace him, because no one can do what Joe Gatto can do,” White says.

Gatto has made viewers and jokers cry from laughter with his unique jokes and acts. From throwing massive piles of mashed potatoes on peoples’ plates in a restaurant and yelling “scoopski potatoes,” to eating donuts behind the cameras, Gatto  always added so much comedy to the show and could surely never be replaced. 

Gatto added a lot of comedy to the show, and without his presence in each episode, the show would be missing some laughs. Although the fans and viewers will miss him making Vulcano laugh so hard he falls to the ground and takes everyone around him with him, they will be glad to see that he is working on himself.