Aflac fires Gilbert Gottfried for joking about Japanese disaster
Insurer Aflac has fired the Gilbert Gottfried, the voice behind its Aflac duck advertising campaigns.
The company said it severed ties with actor and comedian Gottfried after he took to Twitter to post a series of jokes about the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
“Japan is really advanced,” he tweeted just after the earthquake struck the country. “They don’t go to the beach. The beach comes to them.”
“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.
Aflac does approximately 75 percent of its business in Japan.
“Aflac Japan – and, by extension, Japan itself – is part of the Aflac family, and there is no place for anything but compassion and concern during these difficult times,” Zuna added.
Gottfried had been the voice of Aflac’s iconic duck since 2000, though his voice was not used in Japanese advertisements.
Gottfried has since apologized, issuing a statement reading: “I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by my attempt at humor regarding the tragedy in Japan. I meant no disrespect, and my thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
Aflac said it is conducting a casting call to find a new voice for the spokescreature.
