scott adams

In the early mornings of the 1990s, millions of Americans unfolded their newspapers and chuckled at the absurdity of Dilbert, a comic strip that made office politics funny, if not painfully relatable. Its creator, Scott Adams, became a household name—a soft-spoken engineer-turned-cartoonist who had somehow turned watercooler conversations into comic gold.

But in recent years, Adams' name has stirred a very different set of conversations.

In 2023, Adams was widely denounced after making comments on his YouTube livestream that many deemed racist and inflammatory. Within days, Dilbert was dropped by hundreds of newspapers. Major publishers cut ties. The comic strip that once appeared in over 2,000 publications was, almost overnight, effectively erased from mainstream media.

“I lost the platform I had built over decades in a matter of 48 hours,” Adams later said in an online interview. “Whether I was misunderstood or not didn’t matter. The machine moved.”

The backlash was swift and unforgiving. But so was Adams' pivot.

Rather than disappear, Adams leaned into a direct-to-audience model—reviving Dilbert on his personal website and Substack, launching a series of self-published books, and ramping up daily livestreams on topics ranging from politics to philosophy to personal development. He embraced his outsider status with a kind of calculated defiance, cultivating a fanbase that wasn’t just loyal, but fiercely protective.

“He’s not everyone’s cup of tea anymore,” said media analyst Rayna Kim. “But Scott Adams understands today’s creator economy better than most. He doesn’t need newspapers anymore. He has subscribers, and they’re paying him directly.”

Adams has long walked a fine line between provocation and insight. Even before the 2023 controversy, he raised eyebrows for his support of Donald Trump in 2016, calling the former president a “master persuader.” His political commentary, often framed through the lens of behavioral psychology, drew both praise and puzzlement. To some, he was a truth-teller in a world of noise; to others, he was veering dangerously close to conspiracy.

Despite the public fallout, Adams insists he hasn’t changed. “What I say now is what I’ve always said—I just no longer have an editor,” he quipped during a recent livestream.

Still, the backlash cost him more than syndication. In 2024, his long-time book publisher pulled future deals. Speaking engagements were canceled. His reputation in mainstream circles remains damaged, and efforts to re-enter traditional publishing have been met with closed doors.

Yet Adams seems content—perhaps even emboldened. He now publishes Dilbert Reborn several times a week, a looser, more uncensored version of the original strip, laced with political jabs and satire that would have never made it past a traditional editor.

Fans say it's a return to form. Critics argue it’s the final evolution of a man who’s lost touch with his audience—or perhaps found a new one entirely.

“What we’re seeing isn’t a comeback in the traditional sense,” said journalist Maria Levin, who has followed Adams' career for years. “It’s more like a reinvention. He’s shifted from being a syndicated cartoonist to a kind of independent content brand. And in 2025, that’s not only possible—it’s profitable.”

Even now, Adams continues to attract both scrutiny and support. In April, he announced a new web series, “Office World,” an animated parody loosely based on Dilbert, but with fewer filters and more edge. It’s expected to stream independently through subscription platforms later this year.

“I’m still telling stories,” Adams said. “Just with a different pen, on a different page.”

Whether one sees Scott Adams as a provocateur, a cautionary tale, or a voice unafraid to offend, his story is a stark reminder of how swiftly the tides of public opinion can turn—and how, in the digital age, there's always another path for those willing to walk it.