Gilbert Gottfried Fired for Tsunami Jokes

Aflac ditches comedian after tasteless tweets
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Suggested by NoMeansYes
Posted Mar 15, 2011 1:38 AM CDT
Updated Mar 15, 2011 4:00 AM CDT
Gilbert Gottfried Fired as Voice of Aflac Duck
Aflac is severing ties with Gottfried, seen here holding the company's trademark duck, because of jokes about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan that the comedian posted on Twitter.   (AP)

Gilbert Gottfried has quacked his last for Aflac. The comedian, who has provided the grating voice for the insurance company's trademark duck, was fired for tweeting more than a dozen jokes making fun of earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan, Failure Magazine reports. Sample: "Japan is very advanced. 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," said a spokesman for the company, which does some 75% of its business in Japan. Aflac has donated 100 million yen—around $1.2 million—to the International Red Cross to help with disaster relief efforts in Japan. (Click to read more of Gottfried's offensive tweets.)

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