Gilbert Gottfried: Fired By Aflac Over Tsunami Tweeting!

Well, that was prompt.

Insurance company Aflac fired Gilbert Gottfried as the voice of its iconic duck on Monday after a series of tasteless Twitter jokes about the earthquake in Japan.

The country was rocked by the 8.9 quake late last week, costing thousands their lives and sparking fears of potential nuclear fallout and tsunami-scale flooding.

Japan is also Aflac's top market, so if the inappropriateness and timing of Gilbert Gottfried's tsunami Tweets weren't reason enough, the bottom line will do it.

Before being cut loose yesterday, Gottfried had voiced the duck in the company's TV ads since 2000, quacking "Af-LAC!" in his famously abrasive voice.

The company released a statement saying the following:

"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, which already uses a different "duck" in Japan, "will immediately conduct a nationwide casting call to find a new voice of the iconic Aflac Duck."

No word if anyone plans to fire 50 Cent for similar Tweets, though we somehow doubt it, as that carries some risk of him busting a cap in your a$$.

Tsunami-related humor ...