Latest news with #MessingWithPeople
USA Today
23-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'Impractical Jokers' star Joe Gatto denies sexual assault allegation
'Impractical Jokers' star Joe Gatto denies sexual assault allegation Show Caption Hide Caption Would Joe Gatto return to 'Impractical Jokers'? Here's his response. Comedian Joe Gatto chats with USA TODAY's Ralphie Aversa about his standup special, "Messing With People" and his time on "Impractical Jokers." "Impractical Jokers" star Joe Gatto is acknowledging he exercised "poor judgment" but denying a TikTok user's claims of sexual assault. The comedian, 48, responded Sunday after a TikToker known as joozyb alleged in a series of viral videos that Gatto sexually assaulted her in 2023, when she was 19. "I have used poor judgment and as a result have violated the trust of the people I love most," Gatto said in a statement provided to USA TODAY on Sunday. "But anyone who knows me at all knows full well that I wouldn't assault anyone." He added, "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." USA TODAY has reached out to the TikTok user for comment. The response came after TikTok user joozyb alleged, "I got sexually assaulted by Joe Gatto." In a 10-minute clip posted Friday, she said she met the comedian after running into him while at brunch, where she said he invited her to see his comedy show that night. After the performance, the TikTok user alleged that she went to see Gatto at his hotel. "I don't want to go into the details about everything," she said, but added that she doesn't "want any girl to feel" the way he made her feel. Joe Gatto on going solo: 'I'm responsible now for 100% of the funny' The user shared multiple photos of herself with the comic and screenshots of alleged messages with him, including one that appeared to show instructions on how to get to a hotel room. The woman also posted a photo showing her with a large bruise on her bottom, which she claimed he left "with his teeth." A video that the user said she took after leaving the hotel room appeared to have a time stamp of 2:26 in the morning on Sept. 9, 2023. In a separate TikTok video, the woman pushed back on comments expressing doubt about her story. "I'm sorry if you don't want to believe it, but the people you idolize are not always going to be good," she said. Gatto starred on "Impractical Jokers" for nine seasons before leaving the popular hidden camera show in 2021. He said at the time that he would step away "due to some issues in my personal life" amid his separation from his wife, Bessy. "Bessy and I have decided to amicably part ways, so now I need to focus on being the best father and co-parent to our two incredible kids," he said. Would Joe Gatto return? Comedian talks 'Impractical Jokers,' new standup special, more While celebrating his and his wife's anniversary in September 2023, Gatto shared that they had reconciled. "Thanks for this decade," he wrote on Instagram. "And I'm happy and hopeful that we will be able to get a few more in because we have proven with compassion, forgiveness and an open heart we can do this. Together." Speaking to USA TODAY last year, Gatto said that trying to balance his stand-up career with starring on "Impractical Jokers" "affected my life in an adverse way." But he said he would "never say never" to the possibility of working with the team from the show again. "It's been three years almost at this point that I've been off the show," he said. "The show's moved on for me. I've moved on from the show." Contributing: Ralphie Aversa
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Comedian Joe Gatto 'can't wait to have some Cincinnati chili' ahead of his Queen City show
When Joe Gatto last visited Cincinnati just over two years ago, stand-up comedy was "a new challenge" for him. Now, the former "Impractical Jokers" star is a full-on pro. After dropping his first comedy special, "Messing With People," on Hulu last year, he's currently amid his Let's Get Into It tour, coming to Taft Theatre on Saturday. "I'm better (than I was), for sure," Gatto said with a laugh. "I hear all the time, 'Oh, you're actually funny.' I'm like, 'Thanks, I think.' ... The good thing is I'm by myself, so you get a full hour of me. So if you're a fan of me from ('Jokers'), it's the same guy that you saw on the show. I wasn't playing a character on that. So it's interesting that people get to dive in deeper and learn more about me." Here's more from The Enquirer's conversation with Gatto, including very Cincinnati-themed topics, such as chili and Travis Kelce. Growing up, Gatto looked to the movies and TV shows for his main sources of comedy. He loved Mel Brooks, and would watch Tim Allen's "Home Improvement" with his father. Allen's stand-up also ended up being the first stand-up special Gatto ever watched. "(It was) one of those, my dad was like, 'Don't tell mom we'll watch this,' kind of thing," he said. "I remember that and laughing with my dad, and that being cool to have that experience to be like quoting stuff back and forth with my father." "Now to be that for people is like is the best, coolest thing in my life." Gatto is in a competitive industry. There are stars galore in the stand-up comedy scene: Shane Gillis, Kevin Hart and Cincinnati-born Nikki Glaser, just to name a few. "I think it's great," he said. "I think there's room for everybody. With more stand-ups and more ways to discover them, I think people have more ways to laugh. I do like that people can break out in multiple different fashions now." "I love when people go to see one of the comics they like ... and then they meet their opener. That's one of the coolest things for me is that people are open to stand-up as a format in a really cool way, because there's just so much talent swimming in the pool." When asked what fans can expect during a Joe Gatto show, the comedian was honest. "It's going to be terrible," he joked. "You shouldn't come. I'm trying a reverse psychology thing, let's see if it works. It's going to be the worst night of your life. Don't do it. Don't come out." In all seriousness, Gatto's shows are about one word: fun. "They're a night of entertainment where people can just come laugh," he said. "I really pride myself on making that and curating that." While participating in a game of Cincinnati trivia (for a second time), Gatto discussed a slew of Queen City-themed topics. He was intrigued with Cincinnati's dish of chili on on top of noodles, saying, "Well, I can't wait to have some Cincinnati chili when I get there." He, however, doesn't eat meat, but said he'll try some vegetarian chili. Gatto also chatted about University of Cincinnati football alum Travis Kelce, who appeared on his former show "The Misery Index," which ran from 2019 to 2022. He additionally saw the Chiefs tight end last year at a charity event he goes to in Kansas City every year, called the Big Slick. "I took a selfie with him, and my daughter was like, 'You know Taylor (Swift's) boyfriend?' I'm like,'Yes, I know Taylor's boyfriend," he said. Gatto's Taft Theatre show is at 7 p.m. ET Saturday. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Joe Gatto talks meeting Travis Kelce: 'Yes, I know Taylor's boyfriend'
