Keeping things light. Joe Gatto joked about his life during his first stand-up appearance following his split from wife Bessy Gatto.
“It was really funny,” an eyewitness exclusively told Us Weekly on Friday, January 14, of Joe’s show, which was held one day prior. “He was very upbeat. He never stopped smiling.”
The Impractical Jokers alum, 45, who announced on New Year’s Eve that he was leaving the TruTV series after 10 years, “didn’t seem nervous at all,” the source added.
Joe took the stage at Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center in Davenport, Iowa, on Thursday, January 13. The tour stop came just weeks after the comedian also confirmed on December 31 that he and his wife of eight years decided to part ways.
During the show, Joe didn’t get into detail about his Impractical Jokers departure or his split, according to the eyewitness, but he did joke about his current situation after a fan asked, “How’s life going?” mid-performance.
“He was like, ‘Pretty f–king fantastic,’” the insider recalled, noting it was “one of the better jokes” and one of very few that appeared to address his marital status. “He didn’t really get into his personal life,” the source added. “He made a couple jokes about it, and he moved on to the next. He never stayed on one topic for too long.”
The 45-minute set was mainly focused on his dogs. Joe and Bessy, 39, share 17 pups, many of which they foster.
“One of the questions was like, ‘[Name] your favorite dog versus your favorite kid,’ and that’s as much he talked about his kids,” the eyewitness told Us, explaining that Joe had a “good attitude” about his personal circumstances throughout the show.
Earlier this week, the former Tenderloins troupe member, who shares daughter Milana, 6, and son Remington, 4, with Bessy, announced his comedy tour in the wake of his split.
“When I committed to my upcoming series of shows starting in the Midwest this week, I obviously had no idea what life would look like at this moment,” Joe captioned an Instagram post on Monday, January 10. “Regardless, we can all use some laughter and kindness right now, and I’ll therefore be keeping all of my dates.”
He noted that he was “excited to share some laughs” with his fans during the upcoming tour, which will run from January to May.
The following day, Joe stepped out for the first time since his reveal that he was stepping back from the show he created with longtime friends, James “Murr” Murray, Brian “Q” Quinn and Sal Vulcano.
Joe was photographed heading to the airport on Tuesday, January 11. The same day, Bessy was seen without her wedding ring while at a gas station in Long Beach, New York.
With reporting by Diana Cooper
