Important Note: This article is not written to denounce the overweight individuals, nor it's penned to imply any form of negative assertions or connotations to being overweight. The author and Hollywoodmask understand and respect both the Body Positivity and Body Neutrality movement in a sense that we should treat each other with empathy and strive together to imagine a world in which we can channel our inner beauty and potentialities.

If you have been following the Impractical Jokers from its early days, you might have noticed that every one of the jokers, except for Murr, was on the heavier side of the scale. That’s not the case anymore for Gatto because he has managed to make some serious changes to his lifestyle to get back in shape. 

Who is Joe Gatto?

Joe Gatto, one of the four pranksters that make up the Impractical Jokers, has been in the limelight ever since his appearance in the truTV show. Gatto and his friends, Sal Vulcano, James Murray, and Brian Quinn, have been on a lifelong journey of embarrassing each other.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I’ve gone Hollywood. Literally. This was taken in Hollywood, California. 📸: @dexter______scott

A post shared by Joe Gatto (@joe_gatto) on

Gatto Looked a Lot Slimmer When Attending the NYC ACC Gala With Wife

On December 12, 2018, Gatto’s wife Bessy took to her Instagram to announce to her followers that Joe and herself were attending the Animal Care Centres of NYC gala. That news came as no surprise fans knew that both Joe and his wife were very fond of their furry friends. What was surprising, though, was that the dapper joker was looking a lot slimmer than he used to.

The post featured a snap of the beautiful Bessy, who donned a simple black dress adorned with a white floral motif and standing beside her was Joe with a charming smile plastered on his face. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

#nycacc #bouroughbred gala #adoptdontshop

A post shared by Bessy Gatto (@bessygatto) on

And The Misery Index star was dressed in black and grey shades. He sported a gray blazer over a plain black shirt paired with black trousers to match. The outfit was completed by a formal style black-tie—no wonder the fans couldn’t help themselves from gushing over the adorable couple in the comments section. 

Losing Weight Invited Unnecessary Criticism in Joe Gatto’s Life

While some fans were really happy for the couple looking adorable together, others were busy criticizing the hilarious comic for his weight loss. Life & Style Magazine reported that Gatto had shredded a massive forty pounds off his body, but his hard-earned transformation was made fun of. 

Some critical fans tried to link an illness to his weight loss, while others assumed that he was under Hollywood’s impression. 

He Finally cleared Weight Loss Rumors

After having heard enough, Gatto went out of his way to clear their doubts.

The father of two took to his Twitter handle in March 2018 and expressed his side of the story in an almost disappointed tone. He explicitly stated that his weight loss had nothing to do with Hollywood, and his efforts were sincerely dedicated to becoming a healthier person. He also explained that having children to play with was a motivating factor in his decision. 

Towards the end of his tweet, Gatto urged his fans and followers to refrain from judging other people’s decisions without knowing all the facts and factors involved. 

His Daughter Motivated him Towards a Healthy Lifestyle

In an exclusive interview with Life & Style Magazine, Gatto explained what pushed him towards a healthier lifestyle. The reality star, who is currently 44-years of age as of October 2020, realized that his body did not have enough energy to keep up with his kids.

One day, he was out of breath chasing after his daughter and sat down to calm himself a little. However, his daughter couldn’t get enough of playing with him and kept pleading with him to join her. At that moment, he decided to make a serious change in his lifestyle and weight.

"I was heaving, trying to catch my breath and looking at my adorable little girl with her puppy dog eyes pleading with her father to play. And I said, ‘No more!’ Also, my clothes didn’t fit me well. So, I decided to make a serious change."

And How Exactly did the Comic Shed the Pounds? 

The very first thing he changed was his eating habit. He became a pescatarian in 2016 and dropped six pant sizes by just changing his diet. Furthermore, he stopped drinking calories like iced teas and sodas; instead, he upped his water intake while cutting-down his meal sizes in half. 

Thereafter, when he achieved a significant weight loss, he went on on record to admit that the journey was truly life-changing, and as a bonus, he didn’t have to worry about his friends and co-stars, Murr, Q, and Sal, teasing him about his weight.

How Tall Is Joe Gatto?

Now that we know what made him lose weight, people might be wondering, ‘how tall is Joe Gatto’? At 5’ 10”, he falls under the average male height bracket.