Fans of TruTV's Impractical Jokers stood by anxiously to hear how the long-running hidden-camera show would proceed following the surprise announcement of star Joe Gatto's exit from the series. A founding member of The Tenderloins comedy troupe alongside James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn and Sal "Prince Herb" Vulcano, Gatto decided to focus on his family at the start of the New Year, calling the future of IJ into question.
Speculation centered around whether one of the series' bevy of supporting regulars would step into Gatto's shoes, including producer Casey Jost, frequent guest Rob Emmer or Impractical Jokers: After Party host Joey Fatone (yes, that Joey Fatone). Instead, it was announced that Eric André would join the cast for a one-off special to air in April across Tru TV, TBS, and TNT, with future episodes to have other celebrity guests filling the role as the "fourth Joker." No stranger to boundary-pushing hidden-camera prank shows -- having one of the rare live-action series on the mostly animated Adult Swim -- André seems like a perfect fit and his appearance is already highly anticipated. It's also critical to the future of Impractical Jokers.
Those solely familiar with André from his low-key supporting turns on Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23 or Man Seeking Woman might question his inclusion on IJ. Oddly enough, others who know him for his Adult Swim series The Eric André Show, 2021 film Bad Trip, or appearance in Jackass Forever might be wondering the same thing. In the latter series and films, André pushed boundaries with bizarre and grotesque hidden camera bits foisted on an unsuspecting public. During the most recent season of TEAS he gained 20 pounds and had all of the hair removed from his body. The reason: He'd lost weight during the previous season while letting his hair grow out, so it made sense to do the absolute opposite.
In many respects André is the perfect substitute for Gatto. Both are fearless when put into awkward situations and unafraid to embarrass and humiliate themselves for a laugh. André's willingness is slightly more extreme, reflective of TEAS's adult viewership compared to IJ, which skews younger and is watched by many families. Gatto's Achilles heel came from more psychological objectives; he'd have no problem doing something embarrassing or stripping down to his underwear, but would waffle at gently insulting an unwitting participant.
Knowing where each of Jokers draw the line is what separates IJ from other, similar series. As funny as the reactions to the challenges can be, seeing the lifelong friends exploit each other's tics and weaknesses for maximum discomfort is where the show truly shines. They really know how to get under each other's skin after working together for over a decade and knowing each other since high school. Whether there was an existing relationship between André and the IJ crew is unknown, but certainly his working on similar projects had to have put him on the radar. However, he's only going to be in one episode, so his appearance will prove if the show can adapt to people who aren't Joe Gatto.
Joey Fatone and actress Jameela Jamil (soon to appear as Titania in the upcoming Disney+ She-Hulk series directed by Kat Coiro) have history with the Jokers and are likely to step in when the show returns this summer. Maybe the show could recruit "Weird Al" Yankovic after his upcoming Roku biopic comes out. Someone like André might be a good fit because of a similar oeuvre, but his chemistry and connection with Murray, Quinn and Vulcano will be the real litmus test for the new direction's success. If a universally approved replacement like André can't make it work, what chance does anyone else have?