Gilbert Gottfried, Comedian, and ‘Aladdin’ star, dies at 67
Gottfried was a regular guest on game shows and celebrity roasts in the 2000s and 2010.
He was a regular on Comedy Central’s roasts of Joan Rivers and David Hasselhoff, Donald Trump, and Roseanne Barr.
However, his sarcastic and crude humor got him in trouble several times. Three weeks after Sept. 11, terrorist attacks, Gottfried joked he couldn’t fly direct from New York to California. The crowd gasped and decried the joke. But Gottfried managed to win over the crowd and make headlines quickly with one of his first 9/11 jokes.
Gottfried, live at the 1991 Emmy Awards made several jokes about Paul Reubens being arrested for masturbating inside an adult movie theatre. This led to Gottfried being blacklisted. After tweeting jokes about Japan’s 2011 Tohoku earthquake, the comedian lost his job as Aflac duck voice.
Neil Berkeley, director of “Gilbert,” created a documentary about the comedian’s life and career in 2017. Owen Gleiberman, a film critic, wrote that Gottfried has no regrets and is able to withstand his harsh convictions. He tells the most offensive jokes, comparing his daughter to Mackenzie Phillips. But, even though it may seem indefensible on one level, it is a joke intended to mock his insecurities. He is fearless but full of fear. He isn’t lying, but he really means it. He is a man who dresses up in a moth-balled suit but, once he’s on stage, he is always himself. While you may not be a Gilbert Gottfried enthusiast, the movie “Gilbert” will make you happy that he is there.
Dara Kravitz, Gottfried’s wife, and their two children Max and Lily are his survivors.
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