39 Fun Facts About Impractical Jokers

On which network did Impractical Jokers premiere in December 2011?

truTV premiered Impractical Jokers on 15 December 2011; the hidden-camera show became the network's signature hit and ran there for ten seasons.

What is the name of the comedy troupe the four Jokers belong to?

The Tenderloins formed in 1999 as a live improv and sketch troupe, and their online videos had drawn millions of views before the hidden-camera series took off in 2011.

In which New York City borough did the Jokers grow up?

Staten Island: the Jokers all grew up there and met at a Catholic boys' high school; the borough later proclaimed an Impractical Jokers Day in their honour.

What was the name of the high school the Jokers attended?

Monsignor Farrell High School, an all-boys Catholic school in their home borough, is where the Jokers met as freshmen in 1990 and joined the improv club together.

Which Joker was NOT an original member of the troupe when it formed in 1999?

Q (Brian Quinn) only joined in 2006, replacing original member Mike Boccio as the group shifted from stage shows to internet sketches.

The troupe won a $100,000 grand prize in 2007 on which network's competition?

NBC's online competition It's Your Show gave the troupe its $100,000 grand prize in 2007 for the sketch 'Time Thugs'.

What was the show's working title when truTV announced it in April 2011?

Mission: Uncomfortable was the title in the April 2011 announcement; it became Impractical Jokers before the December 2011 premiere.

Which talk-show bit inspired the Jokers' earpiece format?

David Letterman feeding lines to Hello Deli owner Rupert Jee inspired the earpiece format; Murr calls the result an upside-down hidden-camera show where the joke is on the Jokers.

What is the tally of failed challenges shown at the end of each episode called?

The loser board tallies each Joker's thumbs-downs; whoever has the most becomes the episode's big loser and must take a punishment he cannot refuse.

What happens if two or more Jokers tie for the most thumbs-downs?

They are all punished: when two or more Jokers tie for the most thumbs-downs, every one of them faces the episode's punishment, sometimes side by side in the same stunt.

Which Joker announced on New Year's Eve 2021 that he was leaving the show?

He said he wanted to focus on his family; the next season carried on with a rotating cast of celebrity guests.

Before comedy, Q worked for which New York City agency?

The Fire Department: Brian Quinn served as a New York City firefighter for roughly eight years before Impractical Jokers made him a full-time comedian.

Which university awarded Murr his BA in English?

Georgetown University awarded Murr a BA in English in 1998; he went on to work as a television development executive while the troupe built its following.

What is the title of Murr's 2018 sci-fi horror novel about a monster in the New York subway?

Awakened, co-written with Darren Wearmouth, was published in 2018; its sequels The Brink and Obliteration followed in 2019 and 2020.

Sal earned a degree in which subject from St. John's University?

Finance: St. John's University in Queens awarded the finance degree in the late 1990s, years before the troupe's hidden-camera show took off.

Which Joker officiated Joe's wedding in 2013?

Sal, an ordained minister, officiated at the September 2013 wedding to Bessy Gatto.

At which baby retail store did Joe work until January 2012?

Giggle, a Manhattan baby boutique, was the day job until January 2012, a month after the show premiered.

For season 9, Sal's punishment forced him to change his billing name to what?

Prince Herb: the season 9 punishment imposed that billing, and the change was reflected on the show's credits, the troupe's website and its social media.

Which pop star plays herself as the Jokers' nemesis in the 2020 movie?

Paula Abdul plays herself; the plot has the guys wrecking her 1994 concert as teens and running into her at a Red Lobster 25 years later.

In the movie, why does only one Joker have to miss the Miami party?

They were given three tickets instead of four: the star's party invitation covers only three, so hidden-camera challenges on the road trip in a Crown Vic decide who stays home.

Which celebrity's superfan must Sal pose as at a party, complete with a thigh tattoo?

Jaden Smith: the thigh already bore a Jaden Smith tattoo from a show punishment, and the movie's challenge adds a second, updated one on the other thigh.

How does Murr get home from Miami at the end of the movie?

Harnessed to the wing of a stunt plane: Murr's losing punishment sends him home strapped to the wing while the others fly back by private jet.

Who directed Impractical Jokers: The Movie?

Chris Henchy, a co-founder of Funny or Die, directed the film, which was released in cinemas on February 21, 2020.

Which former NSYNC member hosted the aftershow Impractical Jokers: After Party?

Joey Fatone hosted After Party, which ran from 2017 as a panel aftershow where the Jokers dissected each new episode with him.

Which pandemic-era spin-off had the Impractical Jokers eating a meal over a video group chat?

Dinner Party, launched in spring 2020 during lockdown, had the Jokers sharing a meal and stories over a video chat from their own homes.

Which staffer hosts the pop-up-fact Inside Jokes segments?

Casey Jost, a writer-producer on the show and brother of SNL's Colin Jost, fronts Inside Jokes, which replays episodes with pop-up facts and commentary.

The 2019 TBS game show starring the Jokers was based on which card game?

Shit Happens, a card game by Monk creator Andy Breckman, was the basis for The Misery Index, which launched in 2019 with the Jokers as team captains.

The Jokers' pilot for a scripted sitcom in 2008 was made for which network, which passed on it?

Spike TV commissioned a scripted sitcom pilot from the troupe in 2008 but passed on it; a second pilot was selected for the 2009 New York Television Festival.

The British version of the show launched in 2012 on which channel?

BBC Three launched the British version in December 2012 with Joel Dommett, Roisin Conaty, Paul Foot and Marek Larwood; it ended after two series.

The Australian version that premiered in 2023 stars which comedy duo?

The Inspired Unemployed, Jack Steele and Matt Ford, front the Australian version, titled The Inspired Unemployed (Impractical) Jokers, which premiered on Network 10 and Paramount+ in 2023.

Which of these was a name of one of the troupe's live tours?

Cranjis McBasketball was the name of the troupe's 2017-18 world comedy tour; the live shows have filled venues including New York's Radio City Music Hall.

The 2018 mobile game based on the show was called Impractical Jokers: what?

Wheel of Doom was the 2018 mobile game by Wilder Games, which followed with physical party games including Box of Challenges in 2020.

Which company produced Impractical Jokers from its first season?

NorthSouth Productions has made the show from the start; Murr was its VP of development when the series was pitched.

Which studio released Impractical Jokers: The Movie in cinemas?

Warner Bros. Pictures released Impractical Jokers: The Movie on February 21, 2020; produced by Funny or Die, it took about $10 million at the box office.

In March 2024, the series moved from truTV to which sister network?

TBS became the show's home in March 2024 as part of a programming overhaul at its original network, which had already simulcast season ten on TBS.

Which first name is shouted at random strangers as a running gag on the show?

Larry: the running gag has a Joker bellowing the name at passers-by for no reason, and fans now shout it back at the troupe's live shows.

Q is the third host of which podcast, formerly on SModcast.com?

Tell 'Em Steve-Dave! began on Kevin Smith's SModcast network in 2010, with Bryan Johnson and Walt Flanagan of Comic Book Men as the other two hosts.

The opening disclaimer warns of scenes of 'graphic' what among lifelong friends?

Stupidity: every episode opens with a warning that it 'contains scenes of graphic stupidity' among lifelong friends who compete to embarrass each other.

What was the title of the Belgian (Flemish) version broadcast on 2BE in 2012?

Foute Vrienden ('Wrong Friends') was the Flemish title on 2BE from 2012, with Belgian comedians taking on the earpiece challenges.