Scott Adams, the cartoonist who created the iconic “Dilbert” comic strip that satirized corporate culture for over three decades, died on January 13, 2026, at his home in Pleasanton, California. He was 68. His ex-wife, Shelly Miles, announced his passing during a livestream of his daily YouTube show “Real Coffee with Scott Adams,” revealing that he had been under hospice care after a battle with metastatic prostate cancer.
Final Days and Illness
Adams revealed his Stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis in May 2025, shortly after former President Biden’s similar diagnosis became public. The cancer had spread to his bones, leaving him in constant pain and requiring a walker for months. By December, he announced he was “paralyzed” from the waist down, unable to move his muscles despite having sensation. In early January 2026, he told viewers that his radiologist had delivered “all bad news,” stating there was no chance he would regain feeling in his legs and that he also suffered from heart failure. He warned his audience that January would likely be “a month of transition, one way or another”.
In a controversial move, Adams reached out directly to President Trump in November 2025 after his insurance provider, Kaiser Permanente, delayed his treatment with Pluvicto, an FDA-approved cancer drug. Trump responded on Truth Social with “On it!” and Adams received treatment the next day. Despite this intervention, Adams acknowledged in early January that his odds of recovery were “essentially zero”.
Career and Legacy
Adams created “Dilbert” in 1989 while working as a middle manager at Pacific Bell, drawing inspiration from his decade-long experience in corporate America. The strip, which followed the misadventures of a put-upon engineer in a cubicle, resonated with office workers who felt isolated in their absurd workplace situations.
At its peak, “Dilbert” appeared in 2,000 newspapers and earned Adams the Reuben Award in 1997.
He continued working at Pacific Bell until 1995, when he dedicated himself full-time to the strip.
Beyond cartoons, Adams authored business books including “Win Bigly” and “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big”. He also briefly ventured into the food industry with Dilberitos, vegetarian microwave burritos, and wrote several novels.
Controversies and Downfall
Adams’s career imploded in February 2023 after he made racist comments on his podcast, calling Black Americans a “hate group” and urging white people to “get the hell away from Black people”. The remarks came in response to a poll from a conservative group claiming many African Americans did not believe it was acceptable to be white. Newspapers across the United States immediately dropped “Dilbert,” with his syndicator Andrews McMeel Universal cutting ties and removing the strip from 1,400 newspapers. His literary agent also dropped him.nbcnews+3
Adams defended his statements as hyperbole intended to emphasize that everyone should be treated as individuals, but he showed no regret and claimed he was a victim of “cancel culture”. He later moved his operations to a subscription service on Locals, creating a “spicier” version of “Dilbert” while focusing increasingly on political content. His controversial views extended to questioning the Holocaust, denying evolution, and making inflammatory statements about women’s rights and teenage violence.
Reactions to His Death
President Trump posted a tribute on Truth Social, calling Adams a “fantastic guy” who “liked and respected me when it wasn’t fashionable to do so”. Trump noted that Adams “bravely fought a long battle against a terrible disease” and offered condolences to his family. Critics noted that Trump made the tribute partly about himself, referencing their political alliance.
Public reaction was deeply divided. Supporters praised Adams as a “rare voice of courage and independent thought”, while critics highlighted his controversial legacy. On social media platforms, many noted the complexity of mourning someone whose later years were marked by inflammatory rhetoric. Some expressed sympathy for his health struggles while condemning his racist statements, with one commenter noting, “It’s sad political addiction got to him so much”.
Final Message
On New Year’s Day 2026, Adams wrote a final message that Miles read aloud during the announcement of his death. He stated: “My body failed before my brain. I am of sound mind as I write this January 1st, 2026. I had an amazing life. I gave it everything I had. If you got 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 till the very end”.
Adams is survived by his ex-wives Shelly Miles and Kristina Basham, though full details about his survivors have not been disclosed. His stepson Justin Miles, whom Adams raised from age 2, died of a fentanyl overdose in 2018 at age 18 after struggling with addiction following a head injury.
