U.S. President Donald Trump mourned Scott Adams, the cartoonist who created the popular “Dilbert” comic strip, following Adams’ passing on Tuesday, January 13.
Trump shared a photo on his Truth Social account featuring the two in the Oval Office and called Adams a “great influencer.” Adams, who died of aggressive prostate cancer, was a vocal Trump supporter.
“He was a fantastic guy, who liked and respected me when it wasn’t fashionable to do so,” Trump wrote. “He bravely fought a long battle against a terrible disease.”
BREAKING: President Trump Honors the Patriot Scott Adams, 1957-2026 pic.twitter.com/EEkFLEkME4
— Joshua Lisec, The Ghostwriter (@JoshuaLisec) January 13, 2026
Adams used social media to reach out to Trump in November, hoping the president could get the Kaiser Permanente of Northern California to schedule treatment for Adams to receive the targeted radiotherapy drug Pluvicto.
“On it,” Trump responded.
Adams first revealed his cancer diagnosis last May, and he initially planned to die by physician-assisted suicide via the California End of Life Option Act last June. However, he opted against physician-assisted suicide after he switched to standard testosterone blockers.
The 68-year-old Adams revealed on January 1 that “January will probably be a month of transition” following a conversation with his radiologist. Shelley Miles, Adams’ ex-wife, told TMZ on Monday that he was in hospice and began receiving “end-of-life care” at his home last week.
Miles, who served as Adams’ caretaker, read a letter that he wrote to his fans on a live stream on Tuesday morning. She also shared the letter on Adams’ official X account. In the letter, Adams discussed Christianity, spoke about his writing career, and reflected on how his podcast, “Coffee With Scott Adams,” went from simply being a live show to something that “ended up helping lots of lonely people find a community that made them feel less lonely.”
A Final Message From Scott Adams pic.twitter.com/QKX6b0MFZA
— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) January 13, 2026
“I had an amazing life,” Adams wrote. “I gave it everything I had. If you got any benefits from my work, I’m asking you to pay it forward as best you can. That is the legacy I want. Be useful. And please know I loved you all to the end.”
Adams is best known for “Dilbert,” a satirical cartoon poking fun at white-collar workers and office culture, which was first published in 1989. Dilbert and his pet dog, Dogbert, went on to star in books, video games, and a cartoon. Although Adams initially hoped for a “Dilbert” movie, he told the Mercury News in 2017 that his public support of Trump likely made that dream “impossible.”
“At one point, I actually thought Facebook was broken because I wasn’t seeing any posts from my friends anymore,” Adams said of his decision to back Trump. “And I’m not even joking about that.”
RIP @ScottAdamsSays
I remember getting introduced to Dilbert in the early 90s when I started my career. The Dilbert cartoon is brilliant and legendary and fueled many conversations around office coffee pots.
My all time favorite Dilbert cartoon is when Dilbert roasts Marketing… pic.twitter.com/nGFbyPb7go
— Brian Hansford (@remarkmarketing) January 13, 2026
Dozens of newspapers, as well as the comic’s distributors, dropped “Dilbert” in early 2023 after Adams was accused of racism for remarks he made regarding the statement: “It’s OK to be white.” Adams called Black people members of a “hate group” and said that he’d previously identified as Black because he liked to be on the “winning team.”
“I’m going to back off from being helpful to Black America because it doesn’t seem like it pays off,” Adams said. “I get called a racist. That’s the only outcome. It makes no sense to help Black Americans if you’re white. It’s over. Don’t even think it’s worth trying.”
Adams relaunched “Dilbert” through Locals, a subscription website, in March 2023. His official YouTube channel has over 200,000 subscribers.
