Scott Adams dies: Turbulent legacy of his comic strip, 'Dilbert'
What's the story
Scott Adams, the renowned cartoonist and author behind the popular comic strip Dilbert, has died at 68. The news was confirmed by his ex-wife Shelly Miles during a livestream of Coffee with Scott Adams on Tuesday. Miles shared a written statement from Adams in which he reflected on his life and urged others to pay it forward. "I had an amazing life... I gave it everything I had," read the statement.
Health struggle
Adams's battle with aggressive prostate cancer
In May, Adams revealed that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. He stopped drawing Dilbert in November 2025 due to cramping and partial paralysis in his hands but continued writing scripts for the comic strip. Despite eventual paralysis from the waist down, he continued his livestreams nearly every day. The statement shared by Miles was reportedly written by Adams on New Year's Day.
Career highlights
How 'Dilbert' started and fell off
Adams, a New York native, started his career as a bank teller before graduating with an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley in 1986. He launched Dilbert in 1989 while working as an engineer at Pacific Bell. The comic strip became a hit due to its satirical workplace humor. However, all of its glory came crashing down in February 2023 when Adams made racist comments about Black Americans. Dilbert was dropped by newspapers and even its distributor.
Speciality
What made 'Dilbert' special
While Dilbert took a few years to take off, once it did, there was no stopping it. Americans and even other office workers saw their corporate plight in Dilbert and related to him deeply. Reportedly, Adams would include his email address in earlier strips to gather stories from readers about their office struggles. After Dilbert was pulled from syndication in 2023, Adams called himself a "disgraced and canceled cartoonist." He then started self-publishing the strip, calling it Dilbert Reborn.
Political stance
Adams's political views and support for Trump
Adams, a vocal supporter of US President Donald Trump, started gaining recognition for his conservative politics in 2015. He accurately predicted Trump's victory in the 2016 election and often praised him on his blog. After his passing, the President remembered the cartoonist on Truth Social, calling him "the Great Influencer." "He was a fantastic guy, who liked and respected me when it wasn't fashionable to do so," Trump wrote.