Comedian and AFLAC “duck” voice Gilbert Gottfried is given the boot after offensive tweets about Japan
As you may have read many times on my blog before, I think that celebrities need to fall back when it comes to using Twitter. Most celebs have been through PR training and know how to give a good interview, but when it comes to the 140 microbologging that Twitter allows, many tend to fall victim to the foot in mouth syndrome. With no muzzle in place and a forum in which they feel like they are “being a part of something”, celebrities, more often than not, tend to type some pretty idiotic things (only to delete them later of course).
Earlier this week, we learned that comedian and voice of AFLAC’s duck Gilbert Gottfried, had been let go by the long/short disability insurance giant because of racist remarks he tweeted against Japanese after the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis which has crippled their country.
I personally did not see the tweets because I do not follow Gottfried, but according to CNN, they went a little something like this:
“Japan called me. They said ‘maybe those jokes are a hit in the U.S., but over here, they’re all sinking.’ ”
“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 makes up a large portion of AFLAC’s customers, and even though Gottfried isn’t the voice of their mascot in their country, the abrasive remarks were enough for AFLAC to back away from and not condone.
AFLAC’s Senior Vice President in a statement said, “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”.
Many comedians including my own beloved Whoopi Goldberg and The View cohort Joy Behar have come out in support of Gottfried after his firing. They are comedians themselves and understand that a job of a comedian is to make light out of even the most horrible situations, but even I cannot believe that they are co-signing his obviously distasteful tweets.
When you are a spokesperson for a brand, you don’t want to alienate them or their customers or constituents. What Gottfried did was reckless and cruel—and as a person who worked in HR, is grounds for termination.
Add to this that on March 11th, Gottfried sent these tweets to comic diva Lisa Lampanelli which were not for the faint of heart. (click at your own risk). His unfortunate Japan tweets were sent the next day on March 12th.
I don’t know when celebrities will understand that when they are on Twitter, they are still “ON”. There is no such thing as being off the record or under the radar. And even when a tweet is deleted, it has already been retweeted and screen captured for the world to see and then blog about.
If that isn’t a FAIL, I don’t know what is.
So Gilbert is now just another example of celebrity Twitter fail. If they keep this up, I will have enough examples to write a book.
Narcissistic celebrities beware—Twitter at your own risk, gamble with your “success”.
RT @TheCubicleChick: Another Example of Celeb Twitter Fail: Gilbert Gottfried: Earlier this week, we learned that… http://goo.gl/fb/5LMie
Your post highlights a common problem these days and not only with celebrities. People seem to think that they can say whatever they want on social media and it’s okay. Decorum? Manners? For many, they leave them at the door when they log on (if they had them to begin with). In Gottfried’s case, he was just stupid. Well written and considered post!
Lisbeth, thanks so much for commenting. And yes, the way celebrities and other public people utilize social networks and most notably Twitter intrigues me. It’s all fun until they say something that they are called to the table for, and then the “apologies” begin. Thanks so much for commenting 🙂
Again, we see two problems here. Number one is the outlandish comments about a group of people that are in terrible anguish. Number two is simply how to use Twitter. Twitter can be so much fun if people will be engaging and interesting. There’s some etiquette people! Use it! LOL
Martha, you are right. Even if this wasn’t Twitter but a radio show or television appearance, if Gottfried said what he said, it would still be out of line and in poor taste. Add to that that it’s online where people can see it rehashed over and over, it is very damaging. For AFLAC and for Gottfried. Another example of mouth insert foot. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
What a goof! I think a person who is trying to be witty all the time has had a fare share of times when they have had to put their foot in their mouth. It is one thing at a coffee shop but on-line it is there in stone, forever. oops!
Patrick, you know I agree. People have to realize that sometimes words can’t be taken back even when they are deleted. Thanks for commenting.
Great post! However, something that I can’t help but wonder when I read about this is why AFLAC hired Gilbert Gottfried in the first place. He was well-known for material not unlike this in the past, so I can’t help but think that AFLAC should have known what it was getting into when they hired him. Yes, people should be on their best behavior, but you’ve got to know when someone is a risk when you hire them.
Steve, you are correct in that Gilbert probably wasn’t the “safest” choice of being the voice of AFLAC. But I am sure somewhere in his contract, there was a stipulation that stated he was not to alienate the brand or cause harm. AFLAC is not without fault, but Gilbert, whether he was the voice of the company or not should not have said what he said, especially with the situation being less than a day old. Thanks for commenting, I appreciate it. 🙂
I am not surprised Gilbert would say that. He is usually one to say shocking things, especially in his comedy routines. He was pretty loud and shocking at the Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump.
Courtney Love, Tila Tequila, Perez Hilton, and many more have fallen in the Twitter Fail – “The Wrong Way to Attract Attention on Twitter”. It was something even Trent Reznor decided early in 2009 to remove himself from Twitter completely.
On the other hand, people everyday that are socializing on Twitter, FB, and even MySpace have been confronted by bosses.
However, if you are in a state that is an “at will” on firing, like Illinois for example, you need to watch closely what you say online, even if is not libelous or defamatory.
Nile, you make an excellent point. People have commented about AFLAC hiring Gilbert when they knew he was known for being “boisterous” but as someone working for a branded company, I am sure there was something in his contract about saying or doing something that could alienate the brand or their customers. I love Twitter, but for some celebs, it seems to be more of an issue of them not knowing when to turn “off”.
RT @thecubiclechick: Another Example of Celeb Twitter Fail: Gilbert Gottfried: Earlier this week, we learned that… http://goo.gl/fb/5LMie