The late Gilbert Gottfried, who was the original voice of Aflac’s Duck mascot, was fired in 2011 by the insurance company, and fans have since been curious about why it happened. Before his firing, Gottfried aided in the duck mascot’s popularity through his distinct voice and quirky mannerisms.
Here is why Gilbert Gottfried was fired from the role of Aflac’s duck mascot.
Why did Gilbert Gottfried get fired from voicing the Aflac Duck Mascot?
Gilbert Gottfried was fired from voicing Aflac’s Duck mascot after posting a series of offensive tweets about the March 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami. These earthquakes and tsunamis, which had measured 9.0 on the Richter scale, claimed around 20,000 lives. It also caused many people to go missing and heavily damaged the country’s environment and economy.
One of Gottfried’s insensitive tweets read, “I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, ‘They’ll be another one floating by any minute now.”
Aflac had 75% of its businesses in Japan. Thus, it was unsurprising when they fired Gottfried. The insurance company also issued a statement in response, condemning the late comedian’s tweets. Here, they also announced their intentions to recast the duck mascot’s voice. (via TMZ)
“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 …,” the statement read. “Aflac will immediately set plans in motion to conduct a nationwide casting call to find a new voice of the iconic Aflac Duck.”
Gottfried eventually apologized for his insensitive comments via a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by my attempt at humor regarding the tragedy in Japan,” he said. “I meant no disrespect, and my thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
Gottfried passed away on April 12, 2022, from ventricular tachycardia caused by myotonic dystrophy type II. Aside from Aflac’s Duck mascot, he had also lent his voice to other popular characters. These include Iago in the Aladdin animated film series and Digit LeBoid in Cyberchase.
