‘Gilbert’ Trailer: Meet the Real Gilbert Gottfried

He’s been a fixture in pop culture for 30 years or more, but how well do you really know Gilbert Gottfried? And does he really talk like that off-stage?

Apparently not! The new documentary Gilbert chronicles the life story of one of the signature standup comics of his generation. The lineup of comedy heavyweights interviewed in the film about Gottfried’s life and influence (and also how he is apparently the cheapest man who ever lived - he takes a bus to gigs!), includes Jay Leno, Whoopi Goldberg, Dave Attell, Jeff Ross, and Jim Gaffigan. Here’s the official synopsis:

GILBERT is Neil Berkeley’s wildly funny and unexpectedly poignant portrait of the life and career of one of comedy's most iconic figures,Gilbert Gottfried (Aladdin, Beverly Hills Cop II). It made its world premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.

Gottfried is known for his abrasive stage persona, and the controversies he’s occasionally stirred up with his confrontational, pull-no-punches approach to comedy. (His jokes about a tsunami in Japan cost him his gig as the voice of the Aflac duck.) But Gilbert suggests that once the spotlight gets turned off, Gilbert’s actually a sweet and gentle dude, with a happy home life. And he doesn’t use that crazy shrill voice all the time (thankfully, for his wife and kids). It’s the kind of stuff he doesn’t talk about in his act, and now you can learn more about it. Gilbert opens in theaters on November 3.