Connecting with fans is important to 'Joker' Joe Gatto

ZANESVILLE − Joe Gatto jokes he's only had three refund requests for his new stand-up comedy tour, which isn't bad considering the numbers and this is a new venture for him.

"You get the weird reverse compliment like, 'wow, you're really funny,'" Gatto said. "I'm like 'thank you, I guess. I don't know what you were expecting. I'm glad I didn't disappoint you.'"

The 46-year-old will be performing at 7 p.m. Dec. 4 at Secrest Auditorium. Gatto talks a lot about his personal life, including being a dad, rescuing dogs in need and stories from the hit television show he had with his three friends.

"I guarantee three to five laughs. You walk in the door with that in your pocket. You're at least getting that," Gatto said with a laugh. "I'm better than people think."

The comedian is best known for being part of The Tenderloins improvisational comedy troupe with James Murray, Brian Quinn and Sal Vulcano. The quartet had "Impractical Jokers" on Tru TV, where they would battle each other on challenges usually related to pulling pranks in public, often with the other guys feeding them lines through an earpiece.

The series started in 2011 and is in its ninth season. There has also been several specials and a movie in 2020. "The Misery Index" was a sister game show that ran for three seasons on TBS featuring The Tenderloins helping contestants to figure out how terrible certain situations were on a scale from 1 to 100.

Gatto left "Impractical Jokers" at the first of the year and announced on social media it was related to an amicable split with his wife Bessy and Gatto's desire to focus on being a co-parent to their two young children, Milana and Remington.

"Things happen in people's personal lives and you need to adjust. There was a moment for me where I had to say 'how is the way I'm going to keep going' and this is the path I've found myself on at this time. I never thought I'd be a stand-up comic. I never thought that would be in the cards for me," Gatto said. "Comedy was always a hobby for me and now that it's a way of life, it was how do I keep doing it."

While Gatto has been performing live for more than a decade, he said it's a lot different being on stage by himself for an hour than having the support of three others doing comedy sketches. He said the fan support helped to increase his confidence and he quickly graduated from doing small comedy clubs to larger auditoriums. At the start, it was just figuring out what a solo show would be like.

"I was nervous for sure in the beginning. I knew I could make people laugh, I enjoy doing that, but everything is it's own art form and it was just figuring out how to do it in a way you're proud of. I think I've gotten there with my stand-up hour," he said. "I find it very rewarding up there. The reception from the crowd has been great. I think I've cracked the code on it."

Even though his life had changed, Gatto knew he wanted to perform for live crowds. He said there's no substitute for the energy of a live audience. He's also always been a people person and has always enjoyed seeing live comedy and music.

"Especially in these times now, getting together and laughing I feel is necessary and therapeutic. It's great to get out again in front of people and have people come out and laugh," Gatto said. "I meet people after the show with my meet-and-greet. I get to hear their stories and really connect with people in a different way. That's probably as much fun for me as being on stage."

It was talking to people after shows that led to Gatto becoming an anti-bullying advocate. He said fans would often tell him how his comedy helped them deal with the pain of being bullied. It was something Gatto dealt with when he was younger and he always used humor as a coping mechanism. Gatto is a member of the Pop Culture Hero Coalition and have worked with them at various events.

"That cause came to me through the fans, really more than anything. I had experienced (bullying) and gotten through it using my own ways of comedy and surrounding myself with people who truly cared about me," Gatto said. "Fans just came up to me and we connected on that. They'd say 'you've just helped me survive the day to day.' And when I shared my story about it, I think it helped them realize there is a light at the end of the tunnel and things will change and get better."

Another subject Gatto is passionate about is pet adoption. He owns several dogs with some having made appearances on "Impractical Jokers." He recently launched the non-profit organization Gatto Pups and Friends, an animal sanctuary.

"It was just a cause that clicked with us. There's nothing like the love of a rescue dog. It just changes you at your core. They're so appreciative and always happy to see you," Gatto said.

Gatto and the rest of The Tenderloins were childhood friends from New York City who formed their comedy troupe in 1998. They posted comedy sketches to YouTube and other online platforms. In 2007, they got a big boost by winning a $100,000 grand prize on NBC's "It's Your Show" competition for the sketch "Time Thugs."

"Impractical Jokers" was developed from there, what Gatto calls a reverse hidden camera show. Instead of the show hosts pranking regular people, it's the hosts pranking each other and them taking all the embarrassment from the folks who witness their foolishness. He believes the passion they put it into is what made it successful.

"It's wasn't just a show. It was a real representation of us. We weren't just characters or cast members. It was our friendship on display and I think we took that to heart. I always thought 'this is how the world is going to view what I'm doing, so let me make sure I think it's good and reaching its potential,'" Gatto said. "I wasn't just an executive producer in name collecting a paycheck. I worked. I think that was a big part of it, the amount of care we had for the show and our friendship. The show was just as much about friendship as hidden camera comedy."

For more information and tickets on the local show, go to secrestauditorium.com. Gatto is also currently doing the podcast Two Cool Moms with Steve Byrne, where they tell stories about growing up with great mothers and then give fans advice they think their mothers would give.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Connecting with fans is important to 'Joker' Joe Gatto