Joe Gatto is taking time to focus on himself.
The Impractical Jokers star, 48, will be entering an in-patient facility after multiple women came forward and accused him of sexual assault and sexual harassment, PEOPLE can exclusively confirm.
“Having taken some time to reflect, l’ve decided to voluntarily enter an inpatient program to continue working on myself,” the married father of two said in a statement. “I just want to thank my friends, fans and especially my family for all of their support — never more so than over the last few days.”
Before entering the facility, Gatto was accused of sexual assault. A former employee also came forward about her negative experiences with the comedian.
On March 20, a TikTok user, who goes by joozyb, accused Gatto of sexually assaulting her when she was 19 in a series of now-deleted videos, allegations which Gatto has denied. Shortly after, a second woman — a source who previously worked for Gatto during his time on Impractical Jokers — claimed that the comedian exhibited unwanted behaviors that she described as sexual harassment.
On March 22, a rep for the comedian issued a statement in response to the allegations, saying: “I have used poor judgment and as a result have violated the trust of the people I love most. But anyone who knows me at all knows full well that I wouldn’t assault anyone.”
“Working on myself is an ongoing process,” the statement, which was first obtained by Page Six, continued, “and I am now going to take some time away from the public eye to focus my energies where I need to.”