Gilbert Gottfried Fired as Aflac Duck After Insensitive Japan Jokes

By Tracey Harrington McCoy Posted Mar 14th 2011 10:30PM

After tweeting a string of insensitive jokes about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, comedian Gilbert Gottfried lost his gig as the voice of Aflac's duck mascot, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"Gilbert's recent comments about the crisis in Japan were lacking in humor and certainly do not represent the thoughts and feelings of anyone at Aflac," Aflac Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Michael Zuna said in a statement Monday. "There is no place for anything but compassion and concern during these difficult times."

"Aflac will immediately set plans in motion to conduct a nationwide casting call to find a new voice of the iconic Aflac Duck," the statement continued.

Aflac does about 75 percent of its business in Japan. The company plans to donate about $100 million to disaster relief, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The comedian hasn't apologized for his controversial jokes, which included, "I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, 'They'll be another one floating by any minute now.'"

Tags: gilbert gottfried

Comments

(61)

Monday 14 March

By Bryan

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This is what you get when people with no sense of humor insist that someone is funny when, at best, they are blindingly pathetic. He was never funny, never will be funny, and he finally got enough money to lose whatever tiny amount of discretion he may have had. Way to go loser.

Tuesday 15 March

By Mary

Couldn't have said it better myself. I've never, ever found him funny-just tremendously annoying. That voice is like nails on a chalk board.

By Robert

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By Ron

What a jerk!

By Melvin

AMEN!!!

By joe

Hey Gilbert Gottfried why don't you go over to Japan and crawl under a pile of rubble and die. You deserved to get fired.

By Kid Kielboss

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Gilbert is the best. He doesn't care what anyone thinks. I love him!

By justwalks

Certainly you're entitled to your own opinion. But if you think that joke is funny then you're just as much a despicable loser as he is.

And you are an insensitive POS just like he is.

By steener122

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Just because Kid likes Gilbert it doesn't mean s/he thinks the Japan joke was funny. I think they were saying that they like him in general.

By walks

So NOT funny. Why are some people just destined to run their mouths in the worst possible way?!

By Gregory

Looks like he killed the goose that laid the golden egg.

By Stephanie

It would take a pretty twisted mind to find this pathetic attempt at humor funny. Good for Aflac...he has the most annoying voice on the planet anyway.

By dave

no first amendment for him.

By sue

Dave, there's no first amendment issue for an employer who fires his at-will employee for good cause. Gottfried's statements were contrary to Aflac's business interests in the Japanese market.

By J.E.B.

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Yeah, Stephanie, his voice IS annoying! Like fingernails on a chalk board!

By walkin07

So that's why the newest AFLAC duck voice was so sucky...Also very ghetto with the pigeons. Grow a thicker skin people. That was the downfall of this country a bunch of litigation happy lawyers ruling over all.

By bybeautydamned

You think THAT was the downfall of this country?!? Boy are you in desperate need of an education.

By Brad

A very unfunny funny man.

By fuzzy kosher armpits

He's a jew - enough said.

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