The Real Reason Impractical Jokers' Sal Changed His Name To Prince Herb
Though the core concept of TruTV's "Impractical Jokers" revolves around four friends trying their hardest to embarrass one another as much as possible, longtime fans of the series will know that not all of the "punishments" the cast serve to one another are made the same. Consider, for instance, the cringe-worthy punishment where Q (who always seems to find himself in these situations) had to continuously pull on the emergency brake during a tour of Universal Studios, ruining several family vacations.
Indeed, there are plenty of punishments throughout the series that seem to toe the line in terms of what is acceptable and what is just plain cruel. Though Q has certainly been on the receiving end of a few of these, fellow cast member Sal Vulcano has also suffered through some incredibly sadistic punishments. A few highlights include the time Sal was forced to pee his pants and then complete an escape room, and the time where James "Murr" Murray legally married Sal's sister.
Most of these punishments don't end up having any long-term effects on the cast members (even the marriage, which was annulled quickly after the episode) with the exception of the memorably sadistic punishment that forced Sal to change his name to Prince Herb.
Sal's punishment forced him to change his name for a whole season
During the Season 9 episode "The Prince and Me," Sal lost two challenges back-to-back and as such was deemed that episode's "loser." As a punishment, the rest of the cast then forced him to change his identity to that of "Prince Herb."
In an interview with "The Kelly Clarkson Show," Sal described how the punishment went far beyond just that single episode, and how it had required him to take on a whole new persona for the entire season. "It's a whole thing. They made me pierce my ears and wear diamond studs," the comedian explained. "They're changing my name in the credits, in the intros, and all my press ... and I have to do this 'til the end of this season. It's terrible." The comedian also described how it affected his life outside of the show, as even when he was performing standup comedy he had to be introduced to the crowd as Prince Herb.
While there's no concrete evidence out there that Sal legally changed his name to go along with the bit, seeing just how much this new "identity" changed his life makes it one of the most elaborate punishments the show has ever seen –- and, of course, one of the most hilarious as well.