Joe Gorga will not be taking the stage in Las Vegas outside of BravoCon. The Real Housewives of New Jersey star was forced to cancel his forthcoming comedy show after Brad Garrett publicly revealed it was a “scam.”
“ALERT!! This is NOT AN ACTUAL Show at my club and people are being scammed to buy tickets via a fake link on Facebook,” Garrett, 63, shared via Instagram on Tuesday, October 31. “So @catchnewjersey not sure how you put this show together but it wasn’t from us. I am not on Facebook.”
The Everybody Loves Raymond alum claimed “an imposter” was “collecting ticket funds for a non-existent show.”
The comedy show was allegedly set to take place on Sunday, November 5, at Garrett’s Comedy Club in Las Vegas. Gorga, 44, was set to appear alongside comedian Jaclyn Marfuggi and fellow RHONJ personality Frank Catania, who was labeled as a “special guest.”
Gorga claimed he had no idea that the show was fake until he saw Garrett’s post on Tuesday.
“It was coming from a fake Brad Garrett,” a rep for Gorga shared in a statement to Deadline. “Joe’s attorney was scammed. They even had signed contracts in place.”
Gorga’s rep added that he “is very disappointed as he was looking forward to performing” and assured that “everyone who purchased tickets will be receiving their money back.”
“Joe will not be doing a show in Las Vegas,” the statement concluded.
In a second Instagram post, Garrett clarified that Gorga was “unaware of the scam.”
“It was not their fault. It was booked through a comedy club in NJ who didn’t go through the proper channels and talked to some jerk-off impostor on Facebook,” the caption read. “Note to all: when someone asks for $ upfront to work at your club it’s most likely a scam. Stay safe everyone.”
A link to purchase tickets for the show has since been removed from Gorga’s Instagram bio.
While he won’t be taking the stage in Las Vegas, Gorga is set to appear in Sin City alongside other members of the RHONJ cast at BravoCon. The annual event is set to take place from Friday, November 3, through Sunday, November 5, at the Caesars Forum convention center.
“Guys, this is regarding the comedy show,” Gorga said in an Instagram Story video on Tuesday. “We just got the news. … It’s a complete scam.”
He was joined by Catania for the video, which had a caption that read, “What’s happening to this world!!”
While Joe’s wife, Melissa Gorga, was not on camera, her voice could be heard in the background reacting to the news.
“I can’t believe this,” she said. “So, there was no one from Brad Garret’s comedy club? This was a complete scam.”
Joe concluded with, “It is what it is,” telling social media followers there’s nothing that could be done.
“Nobody got hurt,” the Bravo star shared. “Don’t worry, I’ll see you at BravoCon. … When we see you, we’ll make you laugh anyway.”
