"They might have to clean this up for TV"

April 12, 2022 1:14 PM

Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 - April 12, 2022)

As confirmed by his family, Gilbert Gottfried has passed away following "a long illness". He was 67.

He was known for his smooth and sultry voice, as well as his role in healing the nation post-9/11. Animation fans might know him best as Iago, the parrot from Aladdin, along with innumerable other voice acting roles.

An iconic comedian and actor.

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posted by mrjohnmuller (91 comments total)

This sucks. I love, love his podcast.
posted by zzazazz at 1:16 PM on April 12, 2022 [6 favorites]

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posted by Splunge at 1:16 PM on April 12, 2022

So many weekend evenings spent watching bad movies with him or Rhonda on USA Up All Night. I know he did a lot of other stuff, but that's primary in my mind for him.

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posted by hippybear at 1:16 PM on April 12, 2022 [10 favorites]

Aw.

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posted by hoodrich at 1:17 PM on April 12, 2022

REST IN PIECE, GILBERT GOTTFRIED.

(typed that as loud as I could, out of respect)
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:19 PM on April 12, 2022 [84 favorites]

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posted by riruro at 1:20 PM on April 12, 2022

Damn. Funny guy, inimitable voice.

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posted by Saxon Kane at 1:20 PM on April 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Ah, man. He was a part of that 80s stand-up scene that enchanted me as a kid, watching HBO and whatnot on our mammoth console in the basement.
posted by Don.Kinsayder at 1:20 PM on April 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

The first time I ever heard "the Aristocrats" was that Gilbert Gottfried version after 9/11 linked above. It was too soon, I thought at first, then realized it was probably too late. We were all taking life too serious, then.
posted by chavenet at 1:31 PM on April 12, 2022 [5 favorites]

So many weekend evenings spent watching bad movies with him or Rhonda on USA Up All Night.

Me too. You can recreate this by watching horror movie Cheerleader Camp on YouTube. The full film is available, featuring '70s popstar icon Lief Garrett! So awesome! Gottrfried and Rhonda both brought something to the table as host without being overbearing with all these cheesy B-movies. RIP.
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:38 PM on April 12, 2022

The full film is available,
His commentary is not included [of course]. it's just the movie, not the USA Up All Night cut.
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:39 PM on April 12, 2022

I loved his brief role as the voice of Jared Kushner on LWT.
posted by migurski at 1:41 PM on April 12, 2022 [11 favorites]

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posted by Token Meme at 1:53 PM on April 12, 2022

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posted by /\/\/\/ at 1:54 PM on April 12, 2022

This one hurts. Holy fuck, is this wrong! But holy hell, is it erotic.
posted by phooky at 2:03 PM on April 12, 2022 [27 favorites]

all I can think about is that photo with Louie and Bob.

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posted by NoThisIsPatrick at 2:03 PM on April 12, 2022 [5 favorites]

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posted by 3j0hn at 2:08 PM on April 12, 2022

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posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 2:10 PM on April 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

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posted by Joey Michaels at 2:10 PM on April 12, 2022

Here's "The Aristocrats" by Gilbert Gottfried in full (just audio). [NSFW]
posted by chavenet at 2:11 PM on April 12, 2022 [5 favorites]

featuring '70s popstar icon Lief Garrett!

You mean, Lief Garrett as featured on the cover of Dynamite Magazine? (I'm getting as 70s as I can here...)
posted by hippybear at 2:12 PM on April 12, 2022 [6 favorites]

@NoThisIsPatrick, that photo
posted by jrishel at 2:13 PM on April 12, 2022 [7 favorites]

It's been a while since it was his gig, but I mainly associate his voice with the AFLAC Duck.
posted by briank at 2:14 PM on April 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

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posted by Kattullus at 2:15 PM on April 12, 2022

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posted by Glinn at 2:16 PM on April 12, 2022

His cause of death is a heart condition that is a complication of a form of inherited muscular dystrophy that usually begins to manifest in people in their 20s. As a fellow chronic illness sufferer (of a condition that similarly starts early in life), I wish he had done a comedy routine about chronic illness.
posted by hydropsyche at 2:21 PM on April 12, 2022 [16 favorites]

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posted by Pendragon at 2:23 PM on April 12, 2022

His skits on SNL are fascinating. (He only appeared in 12 episodes.)

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posted by Melismata at 2:26 PM on April 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

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posted by Meatbomb at 2:26 PM on April 12, 2022

My favorite moment(s) will always be YOU FOOL! from Hollywood Squares.
posted by xedrik at 2:30 PM on April 12, 2022 [38 favorites]

I just saw this on Google News. Man, this makes me so sad. I was a huge fan ever since I saw this.
posted by y2karl at 2:30 PM on April 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

This one hurts. Holy fuck, is this wrong! But holy hell, is it erotic.

What about this ?
posted by Pendragon at 2:34 PM on April 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Too soon
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 2:41 PM on April 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Damn. I'll miss him. He was funny.

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posted by May Kasahara at 2:48 PM on April 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

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I use this clip all the time.

Such a great voice actor. His duck ads for Aflac, especially the ones starring Yogi Berra are classic.
posted by indianbadger1 at 3:06 PM on April 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

I always found him to be hilarious when he was on Howard Stern's show in the early 2000s.
posted by SoberHighland at 3:06 PM on April 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

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The milkshake ran out long before the duck ever did
posted by armeowda at 3:13 PM on April 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Gilbert Gotffried interviewed writer/comedian/"Best Show" host Tom Scharpling on his podcast. It happened to be right after he lost his job writing for the show "Divorce." So, before he went on air, he politely asked that this not be included on his list of credits.

This turned out to be a miscalculation, Gilbert turned it into a running gag throughout the entire episode, but in a way that never seemed mean-spirited. For his part, Scharpling responded by getting him to go deep into his short-lived stint on "Saturday Night Live." It felt like a meeting of two hilarious curmudgeons with a deep abiding love for the more obscure segments of the comedy world. A hilarious human being who knew his history, he will be missed.

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posted by HunterFelt at 3:20 PM on April 12, 2022 [12 favorites]

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posted by cooker girl at 3:24 PM on April 12, 2022

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posted by snuffleupagus at 3:24 PM on April 12, 2022

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posted by annieb at 3:36 PM on April 12, 2022

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I'm sad to say I didn't really appreciate him until later in life. I've been meaning to listen to his podcast for awhile now. He seems like he was a very kind, genuine, and thoughtful person.
posted by treepour at 3:43 PM on April 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Animation fans might know him best as Iago, the parrot from Aladdin, along with innumerable other voice acting roles.

He has been Digit on Cyberchase since 2002 on PBS (apparently they just started a new season).

This sucks.


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posted by eckeric at 3:53 PM on April 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

With Ann Risley on SNL '80, here's a clip including Gilbert's real voice.

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posted by zaixfeep at 3:57 PM on April 12, 2022 [9 favorites]

I love all the clips on here. Thank you. He was interesting and prolific and funny.

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posted by hydra77 at 4:01 PM on April 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

⚫⚫⚫ CAP LOCK KING⚫⚫⚫
posted by clavdivs at 4:01 PM on April 12, 2022

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posted by Ickster at 4:14 PM on April 12, 2022

Be Cool About Fire Safety
posted by wordless reply at 4:20 PM on April 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Apparently, Wikipedia briefly listed the cause of death as having been eaten by sharks. I think that should have remained, as a tribute to his ridiculous comedy.

RIP.
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 4:25 PM on April 12, 2022 [18 favorites]

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posted by MCTDavid at 4:38 PM on April 12, 2022

Goodbye to a real one.

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posted by Sphinx at 4:40 PM on April 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

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posted by detachd at 4:55 PM on April 12, 2022

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posted by SonInLawOfSam at 5:16 PM on April 12, 2022

Too soon.
posted by Etrigan at 5:37 PM on April 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

I remember an interview with him on Fresh Air. Terry Gross explained to the audience that Gottfried only does interviews in character, then asked him if there was a way to get to know him as a real person. He responded, WELL, I WAS SICK RECENTLY, AND I HAD A TEAM OF NURSES THAT TOOK CARE OF ME. I GOT TO KNOW SOME OF THEM PRETTY WELL. MAYBE YOU COULD ASK THEM WHAT I'M LIKE.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 5:49 PM on April 12, 2022 [11 favorites]

DOT
posted by JoeXIII007 at 5:54 PM on April 12, 2022 [8 favorites]

My favourite thing he did was a brief turn as a temp prosecuting attorney on Night Court.

"YOUR HONOUR, THIS WOMAN IS A PROSTITUTE. PROSTITUTION IS AGAINST THE LAW. WE REST OUR CASE."

I've been quoting that or pastiching that at least once a week for the past thirty years.
posted by Capt. Renault at 5:55 PM on April 12, 2022 [8 favorites]

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posted by coppertop at 6:30 PM on April 12, 2022

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posted by djseafood at 6:34 PM on April 12, 2022

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We were going to see him in person next week. He was going to be presenting a showing of the documentary about him at Ebertfest.
posted by octothorpe at 6:43 PM on April 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

I knew him irl. Original, inappropriate, hilarious. This sucks.
posted by Ideefixe at 6:43 PM on April 12, 2022 [11 favorites]

Just this once his timing was terrible.

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posted by kinnakeet at 6:44 PM on April 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

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"We'll get you all new hats!"
posted by SystematicAbuse at 6:52 PM on April 12, 2022

Could you show me that map again?

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posted by dr_dank at 7:17 PM on April 12, 2022

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posted by sfred at 7:18 PM on April 12, 2022

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posted by dannyboybell at 9:20 PM on April 12, 2022

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posted by Lesser Spotted Potoroo at 9:59 PM on April 12, 2022

I accidentally stumbled upon him at a book signing while I was visiting a bookstore during my lunch hour (probably for his 2011 book Rubber Balls & Liquor). I think this was around the time of or a bit after his unfortunate jokes about the Japanese earthquake, so there weren't a lot of people lining up to his table (he actually looked kinda lonely there, though some other folks came up to his table while I was leaving). Glad he managed to bounce back.

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posted by gtrwolf at 10:39 PM on April 12, 2022

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posted by McNulty at 11:46 PM on April 12, 2022

His set at the 2014 Gathering of the Juggalos is a bit of a clusterfuck until at 19 minutes in when Gilbert realizes (as a YT commenter says) how easy it could have been to be Hitler.
posted by quartzcity at 12:24 AM on April 13, 2022 [3 favorites]

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posted by lazaruslong at 12:34 AM on April 13, 2022

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posted by box at 5:30 AM on April 13, 2022

A friend and I theorized that Gilbert missed his true calling in life -- being a voice for GPS systems.

GPS: TAKE THE NEXT RIGHT IN THREE HUNDRED YARDS.

DRIVER: goes straight instead

GPS: YOU FOOL!

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posted by delfin at 5:37 AM on April 13, 2022 [13 favorites]

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posted by Gelatin at 5:54 AM on April 13, 2022

This clip from Howard Stern's show contrasts Gilbert's "performance voice" with his actual, normal speaking voice.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:15 AM on April 13, 2022 [4 favorites]

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posted by schyler523 at 6:32 AM on April 13, 2022

gtrwolf, Rubber Balls and Liquor was a good read. His father owned a hardware store and sold model airplane glue. Most of the kids buying it didn’t have any interest in model kits, just buying the glue to huff. The city passed a law that required the glue to be sold with a model kit only. To stay compliant with the law, an old faded model kit was handed to the glue purchaser with the understanding that they would leave the kit by the trash can so it could be brought back in the store, ready for the next glue customer.
posted by dr_dank at 6:49 AM on April 13, 2022 [4 favorites]

The Aristocrats!
posted by whisk(e)y neat at 9:20 AM on April 13, 2022

This is maybe the hardest any talk show clip has made me laugh, if only for the reaction of the two hosts.
posted by rollick at 10:20 AM on April 13, 2022 [5 favorites]

Comments from a friend's facebook post:

I freelanced for DC Comics about 25 years ago and he came in a couple times when I was there saying he got off on the wrong floor and someone said "he does this all the time to get some free comics"

One of the mad magazine guys just said he came there all the time too. I guess it was a thing. Ha.

He would ask for free stuff… then no matter what we tried to give him, he’d say: “Oh, I don’t want THAT!”

When I interned at Epic/ Marvel in the early 90s he would come by all the time! It was great you could hear him down the hall.

He did a gig at my college in the ‘90s and I ran into him at the chicken wing place downstairs in the student center, where he was entitled to a free meal as a performer.
posted by Furnace of Doubt at 10:37 AM on April 13, 2022 [5 favorites]

He truly was a character.
posted by y2karl at 10:58 AM on April 13, 2022

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posted by riverlife at 11:00 AM on April 13, 2022

I've always liked Gilbert, I remember watching him on SNL, and I hope someone somewhere besides me describes him as "9-11 commentator and former insurance spokesmodel." He had become somewhat of an idol in recent years through his podcast, helping me recognize an interest in comedy history and showbiz in general that I realize I've always had. I've watched movies that they've mentioned (not "Funky Monkey" yet, though) and started really memorializing my interest more than being able to throw out a "wasn't he...?"

I only got to see his standup once, but it was a master class and long past due. It was interesting in that it wasn't the funniest I've ever found him, but to watch him try to find the audience was fascinating in a nerdy way. The improvisation is what you can do once you're past the classic difficulties in just getting up there. Norm MacDonald was similar in that way for me. Once you can keep a punchline and joke structure in mind, you can just work the setup to your imagination's content, which is what The Aristocrats and The Moth Joke are all about. Gilbert helped me think more seriously about comedy. And Forrest Tucker's genitals. And the love affair between Marlon Brando and Richard Pryor. And...

The guy first got up to a mic when he was 15, like a real live big kids' "open mic at Caroline's" mic (oddly, he could never remember the actual place name). He was pure comedy, and he obviously loved his sisters, who were instrumental in that.

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posted by rhizome at 11:05 AM on April 13, 2022 [5 favorites]

🌑 {cheese with black wax}
posted by brachiopod at 1:15 PM on April 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

With Ann Risley on SNL '80, here's a clip including Gilbert's real voice.

Wow, that is so weird. Not just because of his real voice (although that's a little startling), but because that season was so legendarily bad, and yet... it's not a bad idea for a sketch, definitely not one of your major leaguers, but we've seen more done with less. But Risley is sort of overdoing it, and Gottfried is kind of underdoing it, until near the very end. I thought that this sketch was better; he starts out in a normal voice, but then The Voice starts creeping in, and you start to see the comedian that he will soon become. It's great.
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:13 PM on April 13, 2022 [3 favorites]

Halloween Jack: I thought that this sketch was better; he starts out in a normal voice, but then The Voice starts creeping in, and you start to see the comedian that he will soon become.

Wow! That’s remarkable. It’s like watching a magic trick when he starts to drift into The Voice. His whole face transforms and his performance becomes mesmerizing.
posted by Kattullus at 2:32 PM on April 13, 2022 [2 favorites]

Birthday message to Hitler. You're dead and the Jews run the world. HA HA. - Gilbert Gottfried, April 20, 2018
posted by riruro at 3:13 PM on April 13, 2022 [5 favorites]

I lost my best friend about a year ago. Back in the 80s he could rattle off Gilbert's routines from memory.

We would have spent the last couple days yelling nasally at each other if he were still around.
posted by whuppy at 12:52 PM on April 14, 2022 [4 favorites]

I just remembered that he voiced Clippy for some gig, and once you hear him say "It looks like you're writing a letter!" you can't hear it any other way.
posted by St. Oops at 1:08 PM on April 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

Clippy Gets Clipped
Clippy Goes Undercover
Clippy Faces Facts

It was a Microsoft ad campaign for OfficeXP.
posted by snuffleupagus at 2:47 PM on April 15, 2022 [3 favorites]

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He did a short film for SNL as NYC's Only Matador. Near the end of the film, after he runs down the list of grievous bodily injuries he suffered by bull-fighting oncoming traffic, he says, "I have no idea why I do this."
(The NBC site has a page for it, but the video seems to be gone.)
I mutter that at least once a month when I have to cross traffic.
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 2:52 PM on April 16, 2022 [1 favorite]