‘Dilbert’ Syndicator Terminates Comic Strip And Publisher Drops Book Following Scott Adams’ Racist Remarks

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Ted Johnson

The syndicator of Dilbert said that they are dropping the comic strip following racist remarks made by its creator, Scott Adams.

The publisher of Adams’ non-Dilbert books also has terminated an upcoming project, according to The Wall Street Journal. Adams wrote on Twitter that the publisher also canceled his backlist.

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“Still no disagreement about my point of view. My book agent canceled me too,” Adams wrote.

But newspapers across the country dropped the Dilbert comic after Adams, on his YouTube show, in which he referred to Black Americans a “hate group.” “The best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from Black people.” Adams had been talking about a Rasmussen poll on the use of phrase, “It’s OK to be white.” According to the poll, 26 of Black Americans disagreed with that statement and another 21 percent said that they were not sure about the statement. That is a phrase that has been used on the far right and condemned by the Anti Defamation League.

The Journal reported that Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Random House, would not publish Adams’ book Reframe Your Brain, set to be released this fall. A spokesperson for the publisher did not immediately return a request for comment.

Andrews McMeel, the syndicator of the Dilbert strip, confirmed that they were severing ties with Adams. In a statement, chairman Hugh Andrews and CEO Andy Sareyan said, “As a media and communications company, AMU values free speech. We are proud to promote and share many different voices and perspectives. But we will never support any commentary rooted in discrimination or hate. Recent comments by Scott Adams regarding race and race relations do not align with our core values as a company.”

Adams has posted an interview in which he explains his remarks. “I’m accepting criticism from anyone who has seen the full context here. The rest of you are in a fake news bubble but I trust you suspected that,” he wrote.

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