“Dilbert” cartoonist Scott Adams, 68, is likely facing his last days in hospice as he continues to battle prostate cancer. His first ex-wife, Shelley Adams, revealed the news to TMZ on Monday, Jan. 12.
Shelley told the outlet that after he recently became bedridden, she, her sister, Adams’ stepdaughter and nurses have been by his side 24/7 to care for him.
The cartoonist, whose comic strip won a 1999 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Design after it was brought to life on screen in the animated sitcom “Dilbert TV,” revealed on his “Real Life with Scott Adams” podcast in December 2025 that he became paralyzed below the waist after his cancer spread to his bones.
Scott Adams Gives Health Update on His Podcast
“So you’re watching the fast decline of my situation. I heard from a nurse that the way you can know how much time you have left, like a rule of thumb, is that if you’re declining month to month, you probably have months to go. If you’re declining week to week, you probably have weeks to go. And if you’re declining day to day, well, it’s very close,” he explained.
Adams bravely continued, “I’m definitely in the declining week-to-week mode. I should tell you directly, I’ve been in hospice mode for, I don’t know, a week now. So once you enter hospice, it’s because you know that the other things won’t work.”
Scott Adams Thanks His Fans for Their Support
GettyThe groundbreaking cartoonist explained how medications and alternative treatments stopped working despite his many attempts to heal his body. He went on to end his podcast by thanking his loyal fans for their support throughout the years.
“Thank you for all of the support — just crazy support. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Thank you for letting me come into your home and simultaneously sip with you,” he said.
During the height of his career, Adams’ “Dilbert” cartoon strip had been published in 2,000 newspapers in over 50 countries. In addition to his legendary cartoon work, which focused on the fictionalized work life of the white-collar character Dilbert, Adams published many books about how to reframe the mindset to succeed and create a happy life for oneself.
