What makes a joke impractical? That is the question that New York native Joe Gatto sought to solve with four lifelong friends for about a decade before deciding to leave the TruTv success that is Impractical Jokers. The show aired in 2011 and is still running, with 10 successful seasons under the belt. Gatto collaborated with his buddies, Brian “Q” Quinn, James “Murr” Murray and Sal Vulcano to cement themselves within an irreverent pocket of the pop-culture zeitgeist, a TV show that pranks the public and humiliates the stars. Many who have never watched a live episode airing of the series are still likely aware of its existence, and more probable than not, have seen at least one of their goofs or gaffs. The show is unmistakably filled with New Yorker humor and raunchy comedy and

bits, From Gatto’s “Larry!” catchphrase and relentlessness to go above and beyond what is demanded by his peers for a prank to Murr’s infamously harsh punishments for when he loses in an episode, the show unlocked a formula that has become incredibly prevalent in other areas of comedy media. The four friends put their reputations on the line every episode,

pulling pranks and gags on the unsuspecting public. The show hit its stride through the rise and fall of Vine, the prank and improvisational public comedy of YouTube and now Tik-Tok which has continued to carry the prank tradition that the series defined.

Gatto built his career in this quad-company of comedians but has been a solo act since 2021. Gatto announced his departure from the show citing his divorce and desire for more family time as the reason. Fans were

completely astonished by his departure after nine seasons, but the show goes on without him. In his time since going solo, the comedian has been honing his stand-up shows for months and has also started the Two Cool

Moms podcast, as well as an animal-rescue organization called Gatto Pups. This stand-up interest brushed up with Hamilton just last week, when Gatto collaborated with CAB and the comedy club and did a show in Utica. The show was held at the Stanley Theatre on Genesee Street in Utica. The theater was opened in 1928 and was built with the intention of being a movie palace. The theater is uniquely historic, designed by famous architect Thomas Lamb, who is known for his designs of theaters from the East to the West Coast.

The show started at 7 pm on Jan. 25 and students filed in expecting a night full of laughs supplied by both their peers and the famous comic, and they were not disappointed. The opener Steve Byrne had the audience en-

tertained and ready for Gatto to take the stage. Dehler Ingham ’27, who is a fan of Impractical Jokers, expressed his enjoyment from the night: “I thought that Joe’s pieces were funny. He told a lot of stories, and as somebody who has watched Impractical Jokers a lot in the past I found it great.” Ingham also expressed the fun of going off campus and into Utica for the event. The Hamilton Comedy Club even took the stage and performed their own set, to the student’s delight. This was the first off-campus CAB x Comedy event, and it was a great success. The student body is certainly looking forward to more events like this. To make sure you never miss an opportunity to go to an event like this, keep up with CAB and Hamilton Comedy Club emails.