[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Joe Gatto is taking action after being accused of sexual assault. No, he’s not taking responsibility… he’s taking care of himself.
The Impractical Jokers star is canceling the rest of his comedy tour, which was scheduled out through mid-November, and headed to an in-patient facility amid the horrible allegations against him, People confirmed on Wednesday. In a statement, the embattled star explained:
“Having taken some time to reflect, l’ve decided to voluntarily enter an inpatient program to continue working on myself. 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.”
Neither he nor the sources specified what, exactly, he’s headed into treatment for. He has denied the allegations against him so far.
Related: TikTok Star Joshua Blackledge Dead At 16
If you missed it, this comes days after the comic was accused by a TikToker of sexually assaulting her when she was just 19. She says she met him while he was in her town for a show and he left her meet-and-greet tickets for his show that same night. Later after messaging — while she was drinking — he invited her to his hotel under some sketchy circumstances and allegedly assaulted her, leaving a large bruise on her butt, something she claimed he did with his teeth. She did not get into more specifics about what happened during the incident.
This allegedly happened in September 2023, just as Joe was getting back with his wife Bessy (whom he temporarily split from in 2021). He left Impractical Jokers at the same time, saying he needed to focus on working through “challenges” in his personal life.
A second woman, who met Joe when she was 15 and then went on to work for him after college, also spoke out, accusing him of acting inappropriately towards her once she turned 18, such as getting flirty and handsy, asking about her sex life, and being jealous of her boyfriend. When she refused to flirt back, she says, he’d be rude to her the next day at work. She claimed all of this was part of a larger pattern of emotional manipulation.
In response to the allegations against him, Joe told Page Six on Saturday:
“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.”
So now he’s… working on himself even more? Is he really taking this seriously by checking into treatment? Or is this a way of ducking out on being held responsible?? What do YOU think??
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Image via Joe Gatto/800 Pound Gorilla Media/YouTube/joozyb/TikTok]
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