One of the best things on TV is Impractical Jokers, a hidden camera show featuring four
lifelong friends who challenge each other to engage in embarrassing situations. Because
of the revealing nature of the show, there are very few parts of the Jokers' private
lives that aren't on public display, but here are a few things you may not have known about
America's funniest friends. Comic Book Man
AMC's Comic Book Men almost featured another member, but Brian "Q" Quinn was stuck in TruTV's
contractual grip and couldn't join his good friends on Kevin Smith's nerdy version of
Pawn Stars. Q, a lifelong fan of comics, appears regularly on a podcast called Tell 'Em Steve-Dave
with Comic Book Men's Walt Flanagan and Bryan Johnson.
Q's First Girlfriend
Astute viewers will note that Q has mentioned that his first girlfriend spent some time
in prison, and that she's the half-sister of an A-list celebrity.:
"I know who it is, and I know where she is!"
"Hahahahaha prison!"
"She's in prison!"
"She's alive and breathing!"
Out of respect forthe delicate family situation, Q's never mentioned her
by name on the air. However, dedicated
Redditors have used information from the show and Q's podcast to limit the possibilities
to a very specific area at a very specific time, and deduced that Q dated King of Queens
star Leah Remini's half-sister Elizabeth, who was arrested in 2005 for felonious cocaine
trafficking. But you didn't hear it from us...
Brian's Swollen Brain
There were a few Jokers episodes where it was very clear that Q was suffering from an
illness, and at least one challenge that Q was allowed to skip because of health concerns.
Viewers didn't know that Q's problems were far worse than the flu, and after a battery
of invasive tests administered by four doctors, a regimen of serious antibiotics, and a misdiagnosis
of Lyme disease, Q found out he was actually suffering from serious encephalitis and meningitis.
The difference between pre- and post-illness Q was about 15 pounds, and Jokers filming
was put off for about a week.
"uuhhhh, one last ride then it's night night forever."
"See you soon, ma!"
Full Cup
Between 2010 and 2014, Joker Sal Vulcano was a part owner of Full Cup, a beloved music
venue and bar in his native Staten Island. Unfortunately, the location ran into financial
trouble in 2014 and rebranded itself as Hashtag Bar in early 2016. Sal mentioned the bar in
his 2013 Reddit AMA, but once the bar started to crash and burn in 2014, he made a public
statement saying he hadn't been involved in operations for more than a year. He ditched
the struggling business, taking his finance degree with him, and completely embraced his
new life of TV torture.
Sal's Tats
One of the most memorable punishments in Jokers history involved three of the castmembers
getting tattoos determined by Joe Gatto, who was the only winner of that week's challenge.
While Q and Murr's tattoos were meaningful to their lives in a sarcastic way, Sal's tattoo
was a huge picture of Jaden Smith on his thigh. Viewers will also notice that Sal already
had quite a few tattoos at this point, including tribal bands around his calves. His arm tattoo,
however, has a pretty deep meaning to him: it's song lyrics dedicated to a friend that
he lost in 2011. Kinda makes that Jaden tattoo look especially cruel.
Slap Attack
Even though most of the pranks on Jokers are designed to only embarrass the four stars,
there have been plenty of times when they've almost come to blows with the unsuspecting
public—and twice when they did. Anyone who watches the show knows that all four friends
are really polite, respectful guys, but Sal was once slapped when he was forced to tell
a woman that her baby was ugly, and also choked by a man that he'd cut in line as part of
a challenge. Apologies were quickly dispensed, and neither segment aired.
Crydiving
Murr's most notable punishment, and the inspiration for his tattoo, was being forced to skydive
despite a serious fear of heights:
"Geronimoooo!"
"Aaaahhh! Aaahhh! Aaaah!"
On air, we see Murr run and threaten to quit the show,
but what we don't see is the hour he spent locked in a bathroom, refusing to come out
while he sent farewell texts to his friends and family, sure that he would not survive
the experience. Both Murr and Sal share a fear of heights, which they'd face again during
their later charitable tightrope walk.
MurrTV
In their tour documentary, the Jokers credit James Murray as being the unstoppable force
behind getting Impractical Jokers on the air. Despite being a reality TV star, Murr still
maintains his day job as the Senior VP of Development at North South Productions, which
explains why he's the only Joker too busy to have his own podcast, even though he could
host one in any of the 17 languages he claims to be able to speak. That is, when he’s
not shot full of Novocain:
"Braised beef"
"Is brilliant"
"Is...Braised bre..."
"Braised breef is brr..."
"Hahaha!"
"Braised breef is brilliant"
"Hahaha!"
"I said it once I'll say it again!"
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