Time to get rid of Gilbert Gottfried in the Tiki Room?

[hookedonears]

After about 11 trips in a row to WDW, we went to Disneyland last year. As a child I can remember the Tiki room at Disneyland being pretty cool. We were very much looking forward to the old version, though unfortunately, it nearly put me to sleep. Gilbert is getting old, but the old version is really slow. Something new would be welcome, but going back to the old is not a good option at all.

 

[monami7]

YES!!!! But not because of his jokes. I just want the old Tiki Room back.

Exactly!!!! This is one of the big draws to DLR for us!

 

[Jerseyguy's Wife]

I never went to WDW when the old Tiki Room was running, but I love the song. As far as Gottfried goes, I say drop him like a bad habit. I openly admit that this has nothing to do with what he did or didn't say. Nor does it really have to do with old vs. new TR show. I just can't stand him. That was my most unfavorite part of Aladdin. I just gritted my teeth every time the bird/man spoke. So, yeah, lose Iago. Just cause he makes me want to scream!

 

[Mom2aJessieGirl]

YES!!!! But not because of his jokes. I just want the old Tiki Room back.

That's what I was going to say!!

Aflac does about 80% of its business in Japan. Gilbert probably didn't know that.

I heard an interview with a high-up exec at Aflac a few days ago. I had no idea they did so much business in Japan. I would assume that Gottfried didn't realize that either...who knows though. Perhaps he did know and he's just being himself!

 

[iheartdisney]

Captain EO was removed from the park because of Micheal Jackson's...troubles. So it is not like it is unprecedented.
You might not consider his jokes that offensive in America, because your house isn't rubble. Your family isn't dead. Do you know anyone who cracked 9/11 jokes in 2001 that still has that job?

On a lighter note, the one thing that sticks in my head about my junior prom was the girl doing my hair was watching some MTV Spring Break thing that was hosted by Jenny McCarthy and Gilbert Godfrey. Still makes my stomach turn just thinking about how SUPER annoying they were together!

 

[santadog]

Captain EO was removed from the park because of Micheal Jackson's...troubles.

I thought Eo was phased out before the Micheal Jackson "problems"....
Pee-Wee's troubles didn't stop them from using him in Star Tours......

 

[iheartdisney]

He was accused of molesting children in 1993 and again in late 1995. EO quietly shuttered in 2006.
in death people forgive all.

 

[Agri]

Captain EO was removed from the park because of Micheal Jackson's...troubles. So it is not like it is unprecedented.

And they just whipped out HISTA in 5 months?

MJ's first round of trouble was in the summer of 1993, almost a whole year before they closed Captain EO. (This was the case where the child was pretty obviously being manipulated by the father in order to get money out of MJ. The child's mother insisted MJ did nothing wrong while the father was recorded on tape talking about how he was going to get so much money and MJ was going to be destroyed. So uh, bad example.)

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I'd be very surprised if they changed Tiki Room BECAUSE OF THIS, that being said, they should change it anyway. I agree that Gilbert Gottfried is and will always be Gilbert Gottfried, which means he will always end up making a possibly offensive, off colored joke about something. So long as he doesn't make a comment about Disney, I'd be surprised if they did anything about it. I agree with others that Aflac probably overreacted, but I'm also one of those people who didn't know they did a lot of business in Japan.

Also think of it this way, he's not just a voice in Tiki Room, he's part of the whole Aladdin franchise and he will always be associated with it, there's no way Disney could disassociate themselves from him. And if they did, they'd be a bit hypocritical. Think about the backrounds of Robin Williams and Tim Allen, they aren't exactly squeaky clean either. As far as Disney is concerned, they aren't going to fix what isn't broken with this.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I thought I had read that the recent fire may be used as an excuse to close the Tiki room permanently anyway, mostly due to lack of popularity?

We've become so politically correct (read: soft) in this country that people can't even make a joke or say what they feel anymore. What a national tradegy! I bet our forefathers are rolling over in their graves. I didn't even know the guy said anything about Japan's tradegy... and could care less that he did (I don't care for the guy anyway but that's another story.).

 

[wtccheermom]

Captain EO was removed from the park because of Micheal Jackson's...troubles. So it is not like it is unprecedented.
You might not consider his jokes that offensive in America, because your house isn't rubble. Your family isn't dead. Do you know anyone who cracked 9/11 jokes in 2001 that still has that job?

On a lighter note, the one thing that sticks in my head about my junior prom was the girl doing my hair was watching some MTV Spring Break thing that was hosted by Jenny McCarthy and Gilbert Godfrey. Still makes my stomach turn just thinking about how SUPER annoying they were together!

GG is a comedian and they all make inappropriate politically incorrect jokes at times. That is very different from being a child molester IMO.

 

[eliza61]

ok I'm slow, what did he say?

Oops found it.

come on, Gilberts comedy is always offensive, don't act shocked (Aflac) when he offends.

 

[LaurenT]

I just can't stand Godfried in general..his voice and squinty eyes grate on me! So, if they found a way to vote him off the island, I'd be ok with that.

 

[Mexidoc]

Gilbert is gilbert. His act is based on insensitive coments. He has been like this for at least 20 years. It is his brand. He should not have been fired, he was the voice of a duck! Not a public figure or even a role model. I would bet that 99% of people poled would not have even known that gilbert was the voice of a duck. As far as the original post keep him in the tiki room. You are paying him for his voiceover talent, not his intelligence.

 

[dismichael]

The tiki room is currently closed with no scheduled re-opening date, so for now, I would say it's taken care of...

 

[LaurenT]

Gilbert is gilbert. His act is based on insensitive coments. He has been like this for at least 20 years. It is his brand. He should not have been fired, he was the voice of a duck! Not a public figure or even a role model. I would bet that 99% of people poled would not have even known that gilbert was the voice of a duck. As far as the original post keep him in the tiki room. You are paying him for his voiceover talent, not his intelligence.

I have to respectfully disagree. Yes, he's a comedian, yes, this is his schtick...
But we're talking about a business decision here...it's not a personal thing - it's a financial thing.
If AFLAC thinks that word will get out (and I believe it will) to the 1 in 4 customers in Japan and that it will cost AFLAC a percentage of those policys...then they have to let him go. Their customers have to see that AFLAC does not approve of his comments.
AFLAC is perhaps partly to blame for hiring a loose cannon in the first place...but you can't really blame them for cutting their losses...

 

[Cee]

YES!!!! But not because of his jokes. I just want the old Tiki Room back.

I'm with you. I always visited the Tiki Room every trip. It was one of my "must-do's". Now that's it's "new & improved", I saw it once and have never been back.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

You might not consider his jokes that offensive in America, because your house isn't rubble. Your family isn't dead. Do you know anyone who cracked 9/11 jokes in 2001 that still has that job?

Yes. Gilbert Gottfried! He made 9/11 jokes...

 

[iheartdisney]

Yes. Gilbert Gottfried! He made 9/11 jokes...

I guess he is D-list enough that I never heard about that. My bad.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I guess he is D-list enough that I never heard about that.

Makes sense to me!!