- Comedian Joe Gatto has canceled his comedy tour and is entering an inpatient facility after two women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior. One accuser, a TikTok user, alleged an assault in 2023, while a former employee described inappropriate comments and possessive behavior.
- Gatto responded by denying the assault allegations but admitted to poor judgment and announced his decision to step away from the public eye to focus on self-improvement.
- He confirmed his plans to voluntarily enter an inpatient program and thanked his friends, fans and family for their support.
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Comedian Joe Gatto is canceling his comedy tour and entering an inpatient facility. The decision comes after two women publicly accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior.
Gatto, 48, is best known for co-starring on truTV’s “Impractical Jokers” from 2011 to 2021.
TikTok user alleges sexual assault in 2023
On Thursday, a TikTok user by the name @joozyb posted a series of videos detailing her experience. She alleges Gatto sexually assaulted her in 2023 when she was 19 years old.
According to her, the alleged assault happened in a hotel room following one of his shows. She supported her claims by sharing photos of bruises and screenshots of Instagram direct messages, which she says were exchanged with Gatto.
Gatto responds to allegations
In a statement to Page Six, Gatto responded to the allegations.
“I have used poor judgment and as a result have violated the trust of the people I love most,” he said. “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.”
Former employee accuses Gatto of inappropriate behavior
Days later, People reported that a second woman — one of Gatto’s former employees — also came forward.
She says she first met Gatto at one of his comedy shows when she was 15 years old. When she turned 18, she alleges his behavior toward her shifted and became more flirtatious.
Before beginning her job, she claims one of Gatto’s former employees warned her. She was allegedly told Gatto often made inappropriate jokes and to “shut it down” if he ever crossed the line.
The woman alleges Gatto often questioned her about her sex life. She says he replied to her social media posts with comments like “hot” and acted possessive when she posted photos with her boyfriend.
When she didn’t flirt back, she claimed Gatto would be rude to her at work the next day.
Gatto enters inpatient program, cancels tour
In a statement to USA Today, Gatto confirmed he is voluntarily entering an inpatient treatment program. He did not disclose what kind of treatment he would receive.
“Having taken some time to reflect, I’ve decided to voluntarily enter an in-patient program to continue working on myself,” he said. “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.”
An insider also confirmed Gatto is canceling all of his upcoming tour dates.
