Controversial comedian and actor Gilbert Gottfried has been fired from his longtime job as the voice of the Aflac Duck in TV commercials.

The insurance giant severed ties with Gottfried Monday after he Tweeted several crude jokes about the massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of Japan last week.

In a statement, Aflac Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Michael Zuna 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."

Zuna added that, "Aflac Japan -- and by extension Japan itself -- is part of the Aflac family. There is no place for anything but compassion and concern during these difficult times."