Comic strip "Dilbert's" creator Scott Adams is being canceled for offensive comments

Dilbert, the beloved comic strip that pokes fun at corporate America's culture, has been a staple of American newspapers for over three decades.

Comic strip "Dilbert's" creator Scott Adams is being canceled for offensive comments
Scott Adams, the creator of "Dilbert", the cartoon character that lampoons the absurdities of corporate life, poses with two "Dilbert" characters at a party January 8, 1999 in Pasadena, Calif. REUTERS/Fred Prouser/File Photo

The backstory: "Dilbert," the beloved comic strip that pokes fun at corporate America's culture, has been a staple of American newspapers for over three decades. But its creator, Scott Adams, has recently sparked controversy with his remarks about Black people.

More recently: Last week, things got heated when Adams dropped a YouTube video calling Black people a "hate group" and recommending that white people "get the hell away from Black people."

His comments were prompted by a conservative poll that revealed some Black respondents weren't feeling the phrase, "It's OK to be white." It turns out this phrase was cooked up by some internet trolls on the 4chan discussion forum a few years back and has since caused quite a stir, especially after being adopted by white supremacist groups. The Anti-Defamation League has even labeled it a "hate symbol" because of its ties with the white supremacist movement.

The development: Now, "Dilbert" is getting the ax from some major players in the US newspaper biz. That includes heavy hitters like The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post, as well as over 300 local outlets across 43 states owned by Gannett, the country's biggest newspaper publisher.

Key comments:

"If nearly half of all Blacks are not OK with White people – according to this poll, not according to me, according to this poll – that's a hate group," said Scott Adams, the creator of the comic strip "Dilbert," on his YouTube show "Real Coffee with Scott Adams."

"By Monday, I should be mostly canceled. So most of my income will be gone by next week," said Scott Adams on his YouTube channel. "My reputation for the rest of my life is destroyed. You can't come back from this."

"For a *very* long time, US media was racist against non-white people, now they're racist against whites & Asians," said Twitter CEO Elon Musk on Twitter, referring to Adams being canceled by US media. "Maybe they can try not being racist."

"Recent discriminatory comments by the creator, Scott Adams, have influenced our decision to discontinue publishing his comic," said Gannett in a statement. "While we respect and encourage free speech, his views do not align with our editorial or business values as an organization."

"This is not a difficult decision," said Chris Quinn, editor of the Plain Dealer in Cleveland. "We are not a home for those who espouse racism."