Newspapers are launching the ‘Dilbert’ comic strip after creator Scott Adams went on a racist tirade advising his followers to ‘stay away from blacks’.
Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the US, said it would stop publishing the comic immediately following comments made by its creator on his online show ‘Real Coffee with Scott Adams’.
It comes after Dilbert was already canned by 77 newspapers in September for his increasingly controversial storylines, including one about a black character identifying as white.
The comic has been around since 1989 and frequently pokes fun at office culture.
Adams, who is believed to have amassed more than $70 million from the Dilbert series, said in the chat broadcast live on Wednesday: “The best advice I would give white people is to stay away from black people.”
Scott Adams, pictured in his studio in 2006, is believed to have amassed a $70 million fortune from his beloved ‘Dilbert’ comics, which have been in circulation since 1989.
Dilbert has appeared in newspapers in 57 countries and in 19 languages, and there are more than 20 million Dilbert books and calendars in print.
‘Just fuck off. Wherever you have to go, just walk away.’
He added: ‘There is no way to fix this. This can’t be fixed… You just have to escape. So that’s what I did, I went to a neighborhood where I have a very low black population.’
The 65-year-old called blacks a “hate group,” citing a poll that found nearly half of blacks disagree with whites.
The hour-long YouTube video was posted to Adams’ channel, which has 118,000 subscribers.
Until Saturday it had 142,000 visits.
On Saturday, Gannett, who owns more than 100 newspapers, confirmed he was leaving Dilbert over the controversy.
“Recent discriminatory comments by creator Scott Adams have influenced our decision to suspend publication of his comic,” the organization said in a statement Saturday to The New York Post.
“While we respect and encourage free speech, their views do not align with our editorial or business values as an organization.
“At Gannett, we lead with inclusion and strive to maintain a respectful and equitable environment for the diverse communities we serve across the country.”
The Cleveland Plain Dealer also said it is cutting ties with Adams following his “racist tirade.”
“This is not a difficult decision,” Plain Dealer editor Chris Quinn wrote in his letter from the editor on Friday.
On Saturday, Gannett, who owns more than 100 newspapers, said he was leaving the series.
The series had already been dropped by other publishers due to its increasingly controversial plotlines.
‘Adams said blacks are a hate group, citing a recent Rasmussen poll which, he said, shows nearly half of all blacks disagree with the phrase ‘It’s okay to be white.’
Adams appeared to double down on the comments on Twitter over the weekend.
“A lot of people are mad at me today, but I haven’t heard anyone disagree yet,” he told his 867,000 followers.
‘I make two main points: 1. Treat everyone as an individual (without discrimination).
‘2. Avoid any group that doesn’t respect you. Does anyone think that’s bad advice?
Later that day he posted: ‘Has anyone checked the price of free speech lately? It’s worse than eggs.
It comes five months after Lee Enterprises also removed the cartoon from its newspapers.
The media company owns 77 newspapers across the country, including The Buffalo News, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Arizona Daily Sun, and has been running Adams’ jokes on the corporate ladder for years.
Last year, a storyline saw a black character, who identifies as white, being asked to also identify as gay in order to improve his company’s environmental, social and governance ratings.
Adams, pictured in 2001, has come under fire for “racist” comments posted on his Real Coffee with Scott Adams YouTube channel.
Dave, his recurring character, replies, “Depends on how much you want me to sell it,” before the boss replies, “Just put on better shirts.”
Another skit showed the same character in charge of the fictional firm wondering how he can open a new factory without contributing negatively to the environment.
As a workaround to prevent “woke” commenters from attacking him, the boss concludes that he will add a non-binary worker to his board to increase diversity.
Adams’ satirical strips appear in newspapers in 57 countries and in 19 languages, and there are more than 20 million Dilbert books and calendars in print.
