Comedian Gilbert Gottfried issued an apology Tuesday for several insensitive, Japan-related tweets that got him fired from his spokesperson gig at insurance company Aflac.
"I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by my attempt at humor regarding the tragedy in Japan," Gottfried tweeted. "I meant no disrespect, and my thoughts are with the victims and their families."
In the wake of earthquake and tsunamis that devastated Japan on Friday, Gottfried posted several messages on his Twitter account making light of the tragedy. They have since been deleted, but said things like "Japan is really advanced. They don't go to the beach. The beach comes to them," and "Japan called me. They said 'maybe those jokes are a hit in the US, but over here, they're all sinking,'" according to E! News.
Aflac promptly fired Gottfried, who had been the voice of the company's Aflac Duck.
"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," Aflac senior vice president and chief marketing officer 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 times."
Gottfried is not actually the voice of the duck in Japan. Aflac said it will conduct a talent search for someone to take over Gottfried's role.
Aflac Japan is the number one insurance company in Japan in terms of individual policies in force and the largest foreign insurer in Japan in terms of premium income, according to Aflac. The company said it has donated about $1.2 million to the Red Cross for disaster assistance.
As E! News notes, Gottfried isn't the only one taking heat for his insensitive comments regarding Japan. Radio and TV host Glenn Beck was criticized for suggesting that the earthquake and tsunamis were a message from God.
"I'm not saying God is causing earthquakes...I'm not not saying that either. What God does is God's business. But I'll tell you this, whether you call it Gaia or whether you call it Jesus, there's a message being sent," said Beck. "'Hey, you know that stuff we're doing. It's not really working out. Maybe we should stop doing some of it.' I'm just saying."
Tech giants are stepping up with donations and online tools, like Google's Person Finder. PCMag also has a guide for how to donate to the relief effort.