Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams died in hospice of metastatic prostate cancer on January 13, 2026. He was 68 years old.
Scott Adams’ final years have been marred by controversy, with the Dilbert comic strip being dropped by multiple major US newspapers following racist remarks made by the satirist.
Although Scott continued to draw Dilbert cartoons for subscribers online, the artist claimed his career has been “ruined” by his growing backlash over the years.
Scott Adams told “white people to get the hell away from black people”
Scott’s first major controversy came in 2006, when the cartoonist questioned whether the number of deaths recorded in the Holocaust had been exaggerated. It was in the 2020s, however, when Scott began regularly asserting his political views. Although he had previously identified as a libertarian during Dilbert’s heyday, his worldview had begun becoming more fringe and extremist.
Scott had spent the COVID-19 pandemic advocating anti-masking, anti-vaccination views online. After the Highland Park parade shooting in 2022, the cartoonist suggested parents should murder their sons if they suspected they could become mass shooters. Scott also supported the “Stop The Steal” movement. The movement purported the theory that Donald Trump had won the 2020 Presidential Election, and claimed Joe Biden’s victory was an inside job.
It was in 2023, however, that the Dilbert creator faced his most significant public backlash. The remarks led to his biggest fall from grace, and effectively ended Dilbert’s popularity. In a livestream for his show, Real Coffee with Scott Adams, Scott said black people were part of a “hate group.” The cartoonist discussed a poll where 26% of black respondents were unsure about the phrase “it’s okay to be white.” The phrase has often been adopted by white supremacist groups, as a response to racial diversity.
“The best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from black people,” Scott said. “There is no fixing this.”
The remarks led to Dilbert being dropped by its distributor. The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post also ditched the cartoon strip. The Post said the remarks “promoted segregation.” The cartoonist spent the remainder of his life drawing Dilbert online for paid subscribers only.
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