Aflac has announced that it has severed ties with comedian Gilbert Gottfried.
Gottfried, the abrasive voice of the AFLAC duck, posted a string of jokes about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on Twitter.
Aflac does 75 percent of its business in Japan. One in four homes in Japan buys health insurance from Aflac.
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 Senior Vice President Michael Zuna.
“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.”
Aflac immediately set plans in motion to conduct a nationwide casting call to find a new voice of the Duck.
It should be noted that Gilbert Gottfried is not the voice of the Aflac Duck in Japan.