Gilbert Gottfried is known for his off-color humor, but this time he went too far.
The comedian twittered multiple insensitive jokes about the tragedy in Japan over the weekend, and they ultimately cost him his job. Despite the fact that more than 2400 people have been killed and thousands more are missing, Gottfried made light of the natural disaster in the Pacific. But insurance giant Aflac quickly stepped in, and fired him from his job as the voice of their emblematic duck.
Here's a sampling of the actor's tasteless tweets (which have since been deleted from his account):
"I was talking to my Japanese real estate agent. I said 'is there a school in this area.' She said 'not now, but just wait.'"
"Japan is really advanced. They don't go to the beach. The beach comes to them."
"I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, 'They'll be another one floating by any minute.'"
According to CNN, the Problem Child star was fired within an hour of posting these comments on Twitter. "Gilbert’s recent comments about the crisis in Japan were lacking humor and certainly do not represent the thoughts and feelings of anyone at Aflac," the company’s senior vice president and chief marketing office Michael Zuna said in a statement. "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 time."
Zuna said the Atlanta-based company was donating $1.2 million to the International Red Cross to aid in disaster relief. He also added that Aflac was already moving on from Gottfried and the company would "immediately set plans in motion to conduct a nationwide casting call to find a new voice of the iconic Aflac Duck."
Source: http://www.ivillage.com/gilbert-gottfried-fired-aflac-offensive-tsunami-tweets/1-a-332150
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