Celebrity Gilbert Gottfried Apologizes for Tsunami Tweets "I meant no disrespect," he says after being fired from his Aflac gig By Dahvi Shira Dahvi Shira Dahvi Shira is a former staff writer and reporter at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2014. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 15, 2011 02:35PM EDT Photo: Soul Brother/FilmMagic A day after Gilbert Gottfried was fired as the Aflac duck for making light of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the comedian is saying sorry. “I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by my attempt at humor regarding the tragedy in Japan,” Gottfried, 56, the voice of the duck since 2000, says in a statement. “I meant no disrespect, and my thoughts are with the victims and their families.” After Gottfried sent a series of joke-filled Tweets, Aflac’s Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Michael Zuna issued a statement Monday saying, “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.” A search is reportedly on for a new voice actor. Japan’s Tsunami Disaster: How You Can Help