Impractical Jokers fans on Long Island are in for a treat — and maybe even a taste of the show itself.
James “Murr” Murray, a comedian best known for his work on the hit TV series Impractical Jokers with friends Sal Vulcano, Brian “Q” Quinn and Joe Gatto, is coming to Huntington in May to perform his stand-up comedy set called The Errors Tour.
Murr sat down with the Press to talk about what fans can expect from the comedy show — and gave a few cryptic hints about what may be coming next.
You grew up on Staten Island, so I’ve got to know — did you ever make your way out to Long Island, spend any time here?
Oh, all the time. I grew up on Staten Island, so my whole family — I mean, they live in Ronkonkoma, Commack, Floral Park, everywhere. The older family started in Brooklyn, half went to Staten Island and half went to Long Island. Good Italian-Irish family like everyone else. And then when they get old enough, they move down to Florida.
So tell me a little more about the show that you have coming, The Errors Tour — great name.
I’ll be at The Paramount in Huntington, literally one of my favorite venues in the world, because the club underneath is amazing. The speakeasy is so cool. And with the guys that I’ve performed there many times over the years. My solo show, it’s a stand-up comedy show. If you’re a fan of Impractical Jokers, you’ll love it.
Because I’ve been on the show so long, I think it’s warped my brain chemistry to think that I can get away with anything I want in real life, because I get away with so much on the TV show. And so I take you, through the first half of the show, some of the biggest errors of judgment I’ve ever made because of the TV show. Like for example, I think I’m the only person on the planet to have gotten thrown off from the Ring doorbell network. I’ll tell you how. I don’t think anyone else has gotten thrown off forcibly from owning Ring doorbells. I got banned from ever owning a Ring doorbell.
And then the second half of the show, we make up as we go. I’ll choose somebody from the audience, send them out in the streets of Long Island. We watch on screen in The Paramount and live on the spot they’ve got to do and say what I tell them to. It’s like watching Impractical Jokers happen live in front of your face. It is cryingly funny.
Having an interactive element is putting a lot of faith in people in general.
The police will be on high alert for anything suspect going on in town that night.
Has there ever been anything that, when watching someone on screen, just stands out to you as insane?
We do another game where I have three volunteers and I borrow their cell phones and I start texting from their phone. And before I play the game with the audience, I now give a couple of criteria. The first criteria is if you’re cheating on your spouse, don’t give me your phone. Or if you’re a drug dealer, don’t give me your phone. Or if you’re in the, you know, an adult industry, if you know what I mean, don’t give me your phone. All these things have happened live on stage.
You learned it the hard way.
I learned it the hard way, unfortunately, but it’s been very funny.
The Tenderloins have been around since you guys have been in college. I imagine that it’s such a different experience being on stage alone rather than being with three of your closest friends. Is that anxiety-inducing? Exciting?
I’m also not there alone. We have such a really cool dynamic with our fan base and our audience. Like, maybe because we’re New Yorkers, when I get there on stage in Long Island, it’s going to be like hanging out with family and friends, you know.
There’s so much kind of goodwill toward Impractical Jokers. We’ve been on TV for so long. We’ve literally gotten older with you and your families. You know, your kids started watching when they were, like 9, before they’re supposed to watch the Impractical Jokers are now, like, 23, 24 years old. So it’s pretty wild, you know, like, I think we have just a different relationship with our with our audience. And it creates a just, like, a really fun environment.
When people recognize you in public, is there a quote or reference from the show that they usually bring up?
They say “Like a boss,” they say “I want my mommy,” they say “Larry!” A lot of people come up to me now and say “Blame it on the a-a-alcohol.” “Pink Pony Club,” because of a video that went viral a few weeks ago.
@jamesmurrayjokers Sometimes you’ve just got to sing. Video courtesy of my buddy @westonsabattus @chappell roan #pinkponyclub ♬ original sound – James Murray
We’re literally about to start shooting the new season of the show. So for the past month, we’ve been hunkered down coming up with all the ideas for challenges, punishments, secret punishments, planning behind each other’s back, all the the inner workings of the show that happen in the four weeks before we start filming, that’s been going on now. So it’s literally been like, the second I step out of the office and use the restroom, or what have you, I hear them all start whispering in the other room, and I come back in, like, “Damn it, I shouldn’t have peed!”
There was a book tour you went on, you visited a couple of school districts here, and people were so surprised and excited to learn that you were involved in these sci-fi books. You mentioned that’s a love of yours. So I mean, what’s next for Murr? Is there anything you’ve got hidden in your pocket that you just want to try out?
There’s something huge, but I can’t tell you yet! It just happened last night, my wife and I alluded to it on social media. I can’t tell you what it is yet, but it’s pretty wild.
But then also, beyond that, so I write these thrillers, and they’re being turned into movies now. My seventh book, Don’t Move, came out like two years ago. It turned into a movie. It comes out this fall. So in the movie is T-Pain, Russ the Rapper, Q, Rob Riggle. And then my ninth book just came out like two months ago, You Better Watch Out. This comes out in movie theatres the end of 2026.
But neither of these is the surprise that we referred to last night on social media.
It’s kind of like a comedy EGOT — improv, a TV show, stand-up, books, and now a movie. Has there been a favorite format for you?
I mean, Impractical Jokers is the best thing ever. I make my friends laugh, surprise them all day long, we film three days a week and then go home. It’s great.
I love touring a lot. Making the movie was a lot of fun too. Writing the books is hard. When you have it in your hand and it’s done, it’s very satisfying. But the process is tough. Takes a lot of mental focus.
I can imagine when you have three people trying to sabotage you at all times, it makes it a little difficult.
That’s also why I don’t want to announce what just happened last night, because I’m afraid they’re going to derail it in some way. And by the way, I just gave a huge clue — not intentionally — about what the surprise was. You’ll have to go back and watch exactly what I just said in order to figure it out.
Murr will perform at The Paramount on Friday, May 16 at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
