Creator of ‘Dilbert’ comics dropped by publisher, newspapers after racist rant

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Famed cartoonist Scott Adams was dropped by his content syndicate, book publisher, and hundreds of newspapers after he warned white people to “get the hell away from Black people,” whom he deemed a “hate group” on his podcast.  

Key Players

Scott Adams gained prominence in the 1990s for his comic strip “Dilbert,” which satirized white-collar corporate culture and was published in thousands of newspapers. Adams posted an episode of his podcast “Real Coffee with Scott Adams” in which he discussed a recent poll on race relations in America. 

Andrews McMeel Syndication, a subsidiary of Andrews McMeel Universal (AMU), which also syndicates the comics “Garfield” and “Ziggy,” as well as Ann Coulter’s column, announced that it was cutting ties with Adams and would no longer distribute “Dilbert,” saying that while “AMU values free speech,” it does not “support any commentary rooted in discrimination or hate.” 

Further Details

Per The Beat, a comics and culture news site, “Dilbert” in its prime was “the most photocopied, pinned-up, downloaded, faxed and e-mailed comic strip in the world.” It was featured in roughly 2,000 newspapers across 65 countries, NPR reported. Not only did Adams earn the Reuben award — the highest award for cartoonists — in 1997, but “Dilbert” also spawned a television show and multiple bestselling books and calendars.

Adams expanded into blogging and books, where he discusses religion and politics. He later created his podcast “Real Coffee with Scott Adams,” on which he discusses social and political issues, often with guests. 

On Feb. 22, 2023, Rasmussen Reports, a conservative-leaning polling organization, released data from a poll in which 1,000 participants were asked whether they agreed with the statement: “It’s OK to be white.” The poll found that of the 117 Black respondents, 53% agreed, 26% disagreed, and 21% were unsure. 

On his podcast, Adams began discussing the Rasmussen poll by saying that for years, he had identified as Black because he likes “to be on the winning team.” However, he said that after seeing the results of the poll, he decided to start identifying as white again because he did not “want to be a member of a hate group.” Notably, he based this classification on the poll findings that “nearly half of all Blacks are not okay with white people,” lumping together the “disagree” and “not sure” respondents. 

“The best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from Black people. Just get the fuck away. Wherever you have to go, just get away,” Adams added.  

But political scientists and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said that his conclusion was skewed by the wording of Rasmussen’s poll. 

According to the ADL, the statement “It’s OK to be white” was introduced in late 2017 as a “trolling campaign by members of the controversial discussion forum 4chan” and has served as a dog whistle for white supremacists. In recent years, the slogan has been placed on flyers — oftentimes with links to or symbols of white supremacy — in the hopes of trolling people into disagreeing with the seemingly harmless statement. The ADL noted that it is unknown as to whether white supremacists were the original creators of the slogan. 

Mark Pitcavage, a senior research fellow at the ADL’s Center on Extremism, cited this controversial double meaning as a possible reason for the low number of respondents, both Black and white, who agreed with the statement in the Rasmussen poll. He said that even without prior knowledge of the phrase’s history, respondents “can see that phrase and easily recognize that someone’s trying to get a rise out of you by using it. Disapproving of that statement and disapproving of whiteness or White people are two very different things.”

For the past decade, Adams has made controversial political comments. 

During the 2016 election cycle, he repeatedly lauded former President Donald Trump’s persuasive abilities, claiming they would be the reason he won the presidency. In 2020, he also claimed that his “Dilbert” television show, which ran from 1999 to 2000, was canceled because the network wanted to prioritize a Black audience, alleging that it was the “third job I lost for being white,” The Washington Post reported. He has received criticism for his comments on women, COVID-19 vaccines, and the number of deaths during the Holocaust.  

Moreover, his focus on race and diversity had extended into “Dilbert,” such as one comic strip from October 2022 depicting two characters that are hired for jobs to fulfill diversity initiatives, despite being unqualified.

Outcome 

AMU, newspapers, publisher cut ties with Adams

In the days following his controversial rant, hundreds of newspapers and media holding companies announced they would no longer run “Dilbert,” including The Post, the international print edition of The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and the USA Today Network. 

AMU, the holding company that syndicated “Dilbert,” announced it was ending its affiliation with the comic and with Adams. Chair Hugh Andrews and CEO and President Andy Sareyan stated that Adams’ comments were contrary to the “core values” of the company and that they “will never support any commentary rooted in discrimination or hate.” As a result, Adams’ comics will no longer be carried by the thousands of newspapers to which AMU syndicates. 

On Feb. 27, Portfolio, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House and the publisher of Adams’ previous books, announced it would no longer be publishing his upcoming nonfiction book that was due for a September release. The author himself also alleged that his agent had “canceled” him. 

Adams decries ‘cancel culture,’ remains unapologetic

Adams stood by his comments, claiming that although they were hyperbole, they reflected a genuine social issue. He also took issue with the accusation that he was a racist.

Despite claiming that he had lost 80% of his income because of the cancellations, he remained optimistic about his career and economic outlook. Without the traditional channels to distribute his work, Adams said that he will restart his comics as “Dilbert Reborn,” which will only be available on the subscription site Locals. 

“Only the dying leftist Fake News industry canceled me (for out-of-context news of course). Social media and banking unaffected. Personal life improved. Never been more popular in my life. Zero pushback in person. Black and White conservatives solidly supporting me,” Adams tweeted. Notably, of the figures “solidly supporting” the comic, one of the most outspoken was Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who agreed that “Adams’ comments weren’t good” but accused the media of being racist in a tweet responding to the news of Adams’ rant.