The duck was originally voiced by comedian Gilbert Gottfried , who also voiced Digit on the PBS Kids series '' Cyberchase '' and Iago in the Disney film '' Aladdin '' . After 11 years as the voice of the Aflac duck , Gottfried was dismissed on March 14 , 2011 , due to jokes on Gottfried 's Twitter account referencing the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami . The company 's chief marketing officer stated that " 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 . " On March 23 , 2011 , Aflac announced that the company was taking applications for the new voice of the Aflac Duck through QuackAflac.com until April 1 . Commercials requesting the submissions , first aired in 2006 but updated , resemble a silent movie . On April 26 , 2011 , it was announced that Daniel McKeague , a television advertising sales manager from Hugo , Minnesota , would be the new voice of the Aflac duck . The first Aflac commercial featuring the duck 's new voice aired on May 1 , 2011
Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Aflac