Scott Adams, the creator of the iconic Dilbert comic strip, has died following a battle with aggressive prostate cancer. Here’s a look at his life, career, controversies, and legacy.
Scott Adams, the cartoonist best known for creating the long-running comic strip Dilbert, has died, according to an announcement shared on his social media platforms. His death comes months after he revealed that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.
Adams rose to fame in the 1990s with Dilbert, a sharp and often painfully relatable satire of American office culture. The strip captured the frustrations of cubicles, clueless management, pointless meetings, and corporate jargon, striking a nerve with millions of readers. At its peak, Dilbert ran in thousands of newspapers worldwide and became one of the most recognizable comic strips of its era.
A Career That Defined Workplace Humor
Before becoming a household name, Adams worked in corporate jobs that later inspired the world of Dilbert. His firsthand experience with office life helped him craft characters and situations that felt authentic, funny, and uncomfortably true. The comic’s success led to books, calendars, merchandise, and even an animated television series.
For decades, Dilbert served as a daily outlet for employees who felt unheard or trapped in bureaucratic systems. Adams’ ability to distill workplace absurdity into a single panel made him one of the most influential cartoonists of his generation.
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Controversy and the End of Dilbert in Newspapers
In February 2023, Adams’ career took a dramatic turn after he made racist remarks about Black Americans during an online livestream, referring to them as a “hate group” and suggesting white people should “get the hell away from” them. The comments were made in response to a controversial poll asking whether it is “OK to be white.”
The backlash was swift. Hundreds of newspapers dropped Dilbert within days, and the strip was soon removed by its distributor altogether. What had once been a staple of American newspapers effectively disappeared from mainstream publication.
Dilbert Reborn and Declining Health
Following the newspaper fallout, Adams began self-publishing a subscription-based version of the comic on his website called Dilbert Reborn, which he described as a “spicier version” of the original strip. While the audience was smaller, he continued to write and engage with fans directly.
In November 2025, Adams announced that he had stopped drawing Dilbert due to severe cramping and partial paralysis in his hands, though he continued writing the strips. His health struggles became increasingly public after his cancer diagnosis in May.
Final Message and Legacy
Adams’ death was announced by his ex-wife, Shelly Miles, during an episode of his daily livestream, Coffee with Scott Adams. A written statement from Adams, composed on New Year’s Day, was shared with viewers.
“I had an amazing life,” he wrote. “I gave it everything I had. If I get any benefits from my work, I’m asking that you pay it forward as best as you can. That’s the legacy I want. Be useful, and please know, I loved you all to the very end.”
Scott Adams leaves behind a complicated legacy—one marked by groundbreaking creative success, sharp cultural commentary, and later controversy. Regardless of how history ultimately judges him, Dilbert undeniably shaped workplace humor for an entire generation and remains a defining symbol of corporate satire in American pop culture.