Joe Gatto's dog rescue shelter announces rebrand amid sexual assault allegations against the comedian
Joe Gatto and his wife Bessy's dog rescue shelter is making a major change to the company.
The New York-based shelter shared a post to Instagram on Monday to announce that it was changing its name from Gatto Pups and Friends to Cannoli's Sweet Life Senior Rescue. The post also included a statement from Bessy, who said the name change was inspired by her senior dog, Cannoli, who motivated her to start the rescue shelter.
Bessy's announcement comes days after Joe canceled his tour and entered an inpatient facility after multiple women accused him of sexual assault. Last month, Joe responded to the allegations against him by saying he had 'used poor judgment' in the past but 'wouldn't assault anyone.'
In the caption of Cannoli's Sweet Life Senior Rescue's Instagram post, the business reflected on some of the goals it continues to work toward.
'Cannoli's Sweet Life Senior Rescue is here to continue being what this rescue and page were only ever designed for—saving the lives of senior dogs in need, and finding their forever homes. Now, we are just focusing a bit more on the dogs that helped get us here,' the caption read.
In her statement, Bessy reflected on the change she's 'made in the lives of senior dogs,' after adopting a few of them herself. Although she ultimately realized she wanted to do more, which led to the start of her rescue, none of that would have been possible without 'one special problem dog' in her life: Cannoli.
'There would be none of this had there never been her,' she wrote. 'So, I'm writing today to invite you to join me in a new chapter of my journey in dog rescue, with a more intentional focus on the reason I started doing this in the first place. I'd like to welcome you all to what will now be known as Cannoli's Sweet Life Senior Rescue.'
Bessy also shared a video of herself and Cannoli, who was adopted at 12 weeks old. However, Cannoli ended up spending more time at the vet than at home, which is how Bessy learned about puppy mills.
'A year later, I started going to shelters to stop supporting places that utilize puppy mills and to rescue dogs that survived,' she added.
The Independent has reached out to Joe and Bessy for comment.
Last month, a TikTok user, who posted under the name joozyb, accused Joe of sexual assault. She said she met Joe in Milwaukee in 2023 when she was 19. She claimed that she began texting him after approaching him in a restaurant in the hopes of getting a free ticket to his show.
Joe allegedly gave her a pair of tickets and the two continued to exchange texts after his gig. She claimed that he eventually invited her to his hotel room and that she went, at which time 'some stuff happened.'
She declined to go into detail about what occurred, but shared screenshots purportedly showing exchanges with the comedian, as well as a bruise that she claimed he gave her.
'I got sexually assaulted by Joe Gatto, the Impractical Joker,' Joozy claimed in one of her subsequent posts that day.
Joe issued a statement on March 22 to deny these claims. 'I have used poor judgment and as a result have violated the trust of the people I love most,' Joe said in the statement reported by Variety. 'But anyone who knows me at all knows full well that I wouldn't assault anyone.
'Working on myself is an ongoing process, and I am now going to take some time away from the public eye to focus my energies where I need to.'
On March 26, he announced his plans to enter an inpatient facility and take a step back from his career.
'Having taken some time to reflect, I've decided to voluntarily enter an inpatient program to continue working on myself,' he told People, with the publication noting that he was canceling his upcoming tour dates. 'I just want to thank my friends, fans and especially my family for all of their support — never more so than over the last few days.'
When announcing his departure from Impractical Jokers in 2021, he cited 'issues in my personal life' and announced he and Bessy were splitting up. However, they ultimately got back together in 2023.
Bessy and Joe, who tied the knot in 2013, also share two children: Milana, nine, and Remo, seven.
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