Joe Gatto has canceled his comedy tour and is in search of remedy amid allegations of inappropriate habits.
After the Impractical Jokers alum was accused of misconduct by a younger fan and a former worker, Gatto introduced that he’s placing himself into an inpatient program, along with reportedly reducing his tour quick.
“Having taken a while to replicate, l’ve determined to voluntarily enter an inpatient program to proceed engaged on myself,” he mentioned in an announcement shared with Individuals. “I simply need to thank my mates, followers and particularly my household for all of their help — by no means extra so than over the previous few days.”
A TikTok consumer who goes by joozyb beforehand accused the comic of sexually assaulting her when she was 19, claiming the incident occurred at a Milwaukee resort after seeing one in every of his reveals in September 2023.
“I bought sexually assaulted by Joe Gatto, the Impractical Joker,” she mentioned in a video posted final Thursday, noting that she’s been sharing in regards to the expertise with Gatto “for over a yr” and didn’t count on it to out of the blue go viral.
Gatto then denied the accusation in an announcement shared with Deadline. “I’ve used poor judgment and consequently have violated the belief of the folks I like most,” he mentioned. “However anybody who is aware of me in any respect is aware of full nicely that I wouldn’t assault anybody. Engaged on myself is an ongoing course of, and I’m now going to take a while away from the general public eye to focus my energies the place I have to.”
On Sunday, Gatto’s rep referred Individuals to the identical assertion after a second accuser, who reportedly labored for Gatto throughout his time on Impractical Jokers, claimed he sexually harassed her.
The lady, who was not named, mentioned she met Gatto at one in every of his reveals when she was 15, and his habits reportedly grew to become extra flirtatious when she turned 18. Whereas working for him after faculty, she mentioned Gatto inappropriately grabbed her, requested for again massages and as soon as invited her to his resort room to cuddle, along with ceaselessly asking about her intercourse life.
Alongside together with his Tenderloins comedy troupe—Sal Vulcano, James Murray and Brian Quinn—Gatto starred on the TruTV hidden digicam sequence Impractical Jokers from 2011 to 2021.
When you or somebody you already know has been sexually assaulted, assist is accessible through RAINN’s Nationwide Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) and their on-line chat hotline.
