Impractical Jokers has gone from a small prank TV show to the biggest hit on TruTV over the last decade. Going on for numerous seasons and even getting a theatrical movie in 2020, the show turned its comedic quartet The Tenderloins into immense celebrities. Unfortunately for fans and the Jokers themselves, some sad recent news means the end of the awesome foursome, at least on television. Joe Gatto has left the show to deal with family issues, meaning that the four friends since high school are down a man.
The solution to this problem may involve adding another close man… or rather, a woman. Jameela Jamil has worked with the Impractical Jokers before and she’s shown that she has what it takes to become part of the group. While she might not be a full-fledged Tenderloin, it makes practical sense to make Jamil Impractical.
How Is Jameela Jamil Tied to the Impractical Jokers?
Jameela Jamil is a comedian and actress in her own right, about to be seen in the upcoming Disney+ Marvel series She-Hulk (which just added Howard the Duck). She worked alongside of the Jokers in the TBS comedy series The Misery Index. There she definitely held her own with the four of them being able to turn the most uncomfortable situations into ones rife for comedy. This is exactly what Impractical Jokers is all about -- a premise reflected in the show's original title Mission: Uncomfortable.
She also guest starred in the Impractical Jokers Season 9 opener “You Dirty Dog,” in which she played Brian “Q” Quinn’s fake wife for a challenge. Jamil is stepping more and more into the full-fledged Impractical Jokers world, becoming a sort of honorary Joker in much the same way as former N'SYNC singer Joey Fatone has. Her appearances with the group, as well as her chemistry with them, lends further credence to her being introduced as Joe Gatto’s full-time replacement.
Why Jameela Jamil Should Become the New Fourth Impractical Joker
One upcoming episode of Impractical Jokers will involve fellow comedian Eric Andre (from the now mostly animated Adult Swim), who will temporarily take Joe’s spot in a guest role. This announcement has made many question what the future of Impractical Jokers will look like. If that episode does well, the fourth spot may be taken by a continuing line of celebrity guests. While this would be an interesting idea, it would also rob some of the charm from the show’s concept.
Obviously, the original “four lifelong friends who compete to embarrass each other” idea no longer works with Joe Gatto gone, and it’s pretty much impossible to replicate. At the same time, having a bunch of unrelated celebrities show up to take Joe’s place suddenly makes said celebrities more important than the Jokers themselves. In fact, it’d almost feel like a waste if those episodes didn’t end with the celebs getting punished, which would also be keeping any of the Tenderloins from suffering said fate instead.
Given all of her credentials and chemistry with the group, casting Jamil as a full-time Joker would help to alleviate that problem. She'd fit in with the group as opposed to overshadowing them, while making her inclusion feel like a full circle evolution from The Misery Index and giving Impractical Jokers back a sense of stability after the loss of Joe. With the newest season still being developed, there’s still time to transition Jameela Jamil into the role of the fourth Joker, bringing some Misery to TruTV’s biggest hit. The series so far, including Joe Gatto, can be streamed on HBO Max along with several new series just added.