Sal Vulcano

Salvatore Edward Anthony Vulcano (born November 6, 1976) is an American improvisational and stand-up comedian, actor, and producer from the New York City borough of Staten Island. He is a member of The Tenderloins, a comedy troupe consisting of himself, James Murray, Brian Quinn, and formerly Joe Gatto.[1] Along with the other members of The Tenderloins, he stars in the television series Impractical Jokers, which first aired on December 15, 2011, on TruTV.

Sal Vulcano
Vulcano in 2017
Born
Salvatore Edward Anthony Vulcano

(1976-11-06) November 6, 1976
New York City, U.S.
Alma materSt. John's University (BS)
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • actor
Years active1998–present
Websitesalvulcanocomedy.com

Early life

Vulcano was born in Staten Island, and is of Italian, Cuban, and Puerto Rican descent.[2] He attended Monsignor Farrell High School;[3] along with Gatto, Murray, and Quinn, he was a member of his high school's Improvisation Club.[4] He received his undergraduate degree in finance from St. John's University in 1998.[5]

Career

Early career

After being apart for years, Murray, Gatto, and Vulcano reunited after graduating from college and began practicing improvisation at Gatto's house, going on to tour as an improv and sketch comedy troupe in 1999, calling themselves The Tenderloins.

The Tenderloins began producing comedy sketches together, posting them on YouTube, MySpace, and Metacafe, accumulating millions of views online. In 2007, the troupe won the $100,000 grand prize in the NBC It's Your Show competition for the sketch "Time Thugs".

Impractical Jokers and other television shows
Main articles: The Tenderloins and Impractical Jokers

Impractical Jokers premiered on December 15, 2011, on TruTV, which was watched by over 32 million viewers in its first season. The show has become the most popular series on TruTV and has boosted Vulcano into the public eye. As of November 2017, Sal was the most punished joker on the show.[6] In Season 3, episode 26 "The Permanent Punishment", Q, Murr and Sal lost and had to get a tattoo of Joe's choice. Sal was given a Jaden Smith tattoo, which became a running gag for the show.[7]

In 2019, Vulcano, along with the other members of The Tenderloins, starred in The Misery Index, which is hosted by Jameela Jamil and is based on Andy Breckman's card game "Shit Happens." The series was renewed for a third season.[8]

In February 2021, as a result of a punishment on the show, Vulcano was renamed to Prince Herb for the rest of the show's season as well as in all his media appearances.[9] The punishment episode aired on April 29, 2021.[10] However, after Joe left the show in December 2021, the Prince Herb alias was dropped by Sal, and in the first episode without Joe, aired on April 2, 2022, the other jokers officially retired Prince Herb.[11]

In 2022, Vulcano appeared in Season 1 Episode 9 (Babysitting Lemurs) of Would I Lie to You?. He also appeared in Season 4, Episode 4 of the show What We Do in the Shadows.

What Say You? podcast

What Say You?, an occasional podcast hosted by Vulcano and Quinn, was named Best New Show at the 2013 Stitcher Awards.[12] The increased popularity of What Say You sparked a friendly competition among the friends, spurring Gatto and Murray to release their own Tenderloins podcast without the other two members. In 2015, What Say You? was nominated for the Comedy, Entertainment, and Best Produced Podcast Awards at the 10th Annual Podcast Awards.[12] They have stated that the podcast is their own side project, not a replacement of The Tenderloins Podcast. The group explained that it was difficult to coordinate the schedules of all four members outside of work, making it challenging to produce their troupe's official podcast with any regularity.

Hey Babe! Podcast

Vulcano and fellow comedian and friend Chris Distefano have collaborated on the podcast Hey Babe in recent years. Until mid-2023, the podcast was produced by Mike "Homeless Pimp" Lavin. The podcast is unscripted, and follows conversations and recollections between the three on a variety of topics. Numerous running gags are associated with the podcast, including "shout-outs" to random celebrities, nations, and social identifiers as and when they come up in conversation, continuous references, congratulations, and commiserations to both the players and organisations that played in Super Bowl LV, and a Patreon page that, after being promised for a long time, lasted a month and has not been used since.

Personal life

On an episode of Impractical Jokers, he said that he was hit by a car at the age of four.[13] Vulcano has two tattoos of Jaden Smith: one on his left thigh which he received as a punishment on the show,[14] and an updated portrait on his right thigh which he received as part of a segment in Impractical Jokers: The Movie.[15]

A certified ordained minister, Vulcano officiated former Tenderloins member Joe Gatto's wedding.[16]

Vulcano is a member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels.[17]

Filmography
Title Role Year(s) Info
Impractical Jokers Himself 2011–Present Also Producer
Bones Sal 2015 Episode: "The Senator in the Street Sweeper"
Impractical Jokers: After Party Himself 2017
12 Monkeys (TV series) Security Officer Sal 2017 1 Episode - Guest Star
The Misery Index Himself 2019-2021
Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party Himself 2020-2021
Impractical Jokers: The Movie Himself 2020
What We Do in the Shadows (TV series) Himself 2022 1 Episode - Guest Star
Clerks 3 Auditioner 7 2022
Would I Lie to You? (US) Himself 2022 Episode: "Babysitting Lemurs"

References
  1. Haring, Bruce (January 1, 2022). "'Impractical Jokers' Star Joe Gatto Announces He's Leaving Troupe After A Long Run". Deadline Hollywood.
  2. Bucholtz, Meg (November 5, 2019). "What Sal Vulcano was doing before Impractical Jokers took off". Looper.com.
  3. Steussey, Lauren (October 9, 2014). "'Impractical Jokers' spinoff shot at Staten Island's Monsignor Farrell High School airs tonight". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  4. O'Shei, Tim (January 19, 2018). "Impractical Jokers' success is rooted in a deeper vulnerability". The Buffalo News. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  5. "St. John's Alumni and Students Collaborate on Hit Show". St. John's University. May 11, 2020.
  6. Favicchio, Stefanie (November 16, 2017). "Which 'Impractical Joker' Has Been "Punished" the Most? The Answer May Surprise You…". In Touch Weekly. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  7. "'Impractical Jokers' Stars Talk Getting Jaden Smith Tattoo and Meeting the Man Himself".
  8. Bowman, Sabienna (January 3, 2021). "Misery Index Season 3 Release Date, Cast, And Plot - What We Know So Far". Looper.com. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  9. Tauber, Michelle (February 4, 2021). "Sal Vulcano on Making Season 9 of Impractical Jokers COVID-Safe — and His 'Regal' New Name". People.
  10. "Impractical Jokers – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  11. Impractical Jokers [@trutvjokers] (April 2, 2022). "Farewell, Prince Herb. LONG LIVE SAL VULCANO! #ImpracticalJokers" (Tweet). Retrieved August 9, 2022 – via Twitter.
  12. "What Say You?". Stitcher. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  13. "Puncture Perfect". Impractical Jokers. Season 3. Episode 15. May 29, 2014. TruTV.
  14. Lerner, Will (July 21, 2017). "'Impractical Jokers' Stars Talk Getting Jaden Smith Tattoo and Meeting the Man Himself". Yahoo. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  15. Cutler, Jacqueline (February 13, 2020). "'Impractical Jokers: The Movie' Team Talks Paula Abdul, Road Trip Comedy". Variety.
  16. Anderson, Nicole. "Sal Vulcano - 5 Things You May Not Know About the 'Impractical Jokers' Star". Someecards. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  17. "Famous Colonels". Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
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