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Joe Gatto, the co*edian best known for his long tenure as a member of TruTV and TBS’s Impractical Jokers, has issued a statement today responding to allegations of se*ual assault that have been levied against him on social media. Per Variety, Gatto denied co*mitting se*ual assault, but said in his statement that “I have used poor judgment and as a result have violated the trust of the people I love most. 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.”

Gatto was responding to allegations that were made on TikTok this week by a woman who says that, when she was 19-years-old, she met Gatto after recognizing him from the series, and eventually accepted an invitation to his hotel room. (Among other things, she shows several messages apparently exchanged between herself and Gatto’s official social media accounts.) Although she doesn’t go into explicit detail, the woman states bluntly in one video, “I got se*ually assaulted by Joe Gatto.”

Gatto parted ways with Impractical Jokers in 2021, writing on his Instagram at the time that “due to some issues in my personal life, I have to step away.” (The same post mentioned that Gatto and his wife Bessy “have decided to amicably part ways,” although later reports suggest that they reconciled in 2023.) Since leaving the series, Gatto has continued to tour as a stand-up, and released a co*edy special, Messing With People, in 2024.