Dilbert Creator Scott Adams Is in Hospice With “Only Days to Live,” Ex-Wife Says

Scott Adams, the creator of the globally recognized Dilbert comic strip, has reportedly entered hospice care as he nears the end of a long battle with terminal cancer.

His first ex-wife, Shelly Adams, shared the somber update on Monday, January 12, revealing that the 68-year-old cartoonist is receiving end-of-life care at his home. She noted that his health has been declining rapidly over the past week, leaving him with what doctors believe are only days left to live.

Shelly, along with her sister and Scott’s stepdaughter, have been providing around-the-clock care alongside visiting nurses. Despite dealing with increasing confusion, the author managed to film what is expected to be his final podcast episode, speaking directly to his loyal audience about his condition. Adams has been battling aggressive prostate cancer since May 2025, a disease that eventually spread to his bones and left him paralyzed below the waist.

“The odds of me recovering are essentially zero,” Adams shared during a recent episode of his podcast, Real Coffee with Scott Adams. He explained to listeners that the cancer had progressed to a point where he no longer had feeling in his legs and was suffering from ongoing heart failure. “January will probably be a month of transition, one way or another,” he added, signaling to his fans that the end was drawing near.

In the final weeks of his life, Adams has been remarkably candid about his journey, using his platform to update followers on his physical state. He described himself as getting “weaker and weaker” but noted that he was hanging on as long as possible to continue discussing world events. In a surprising turn during his New Year’s Day broadcast, he also announced his intention to convert to Christianity, citing a desire to explore faith as he faced his own mortality.

Adams became a household name in 1989 with the launch of Dilbert, a comic that satirized the absurdities of corporate office culture. At its peak, the strip was featured in over 2,000 newspapers across 65 countries and spawned a successful animated series and numerous books. However, his later years were marked by significant controversy, particularly in 2023 when hundreds of publications dropped his work following a series of racially charged comments on his YouTube show.

Despite the loss of mainstream syndication, Adams maintained a dedicated following on independent platforms like Locals and Rumble. He spent his final months focusing on his “talent stack” philosophy and producing daily commentary on politics and technology. Even from his hospital bed, he continued to work on new comic projects and engaged with his audience until his physical strength finally began to fail him this month.

Outside of his work on Dilbert, Adams is known for his non-fiction books such as The Dilbert Principle and Win Bigly, where he analyzed persuasion and human behavior. His career transition from a Pacific Bell employee to a world-famous cartoonist remains one of the most successful examples of a professional “second act” in modern media. He is currently survived by his close-knit family and the sprawling legacy of the cubicle-dwelling character that defined a generation of workplace humor.

The cartoonist’s final podcast recordings have seen an outpouring of support and reflection from both long-time fans and critics alike. Many have noted that regardless of the controversies surrounding his personal views, his impact on the world of comic strips and corporate satire is undeniable. As he enters these final days, his family has asked for privacy while they focus on his comfort and peace.

What are your favorite memories of reading Dilbert in the Sunday funny pages? Share your thoughts in the comments.