Scott Adams, the longtime cartoonist behind the “Dilbert” comic strip, said on May 19 that he has the same type of aggressive prostate cancer as former President Joe Biden and that he has only months to live.
“I have the same cancer that Joe Biden has. I also have prostate cancer that has also spread to my bones,” said Adams, who is a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump as well as a conservative commentator on X.
“My life expectancy is maybe this summer. I expect to be checking out from this domain sometime this summer.”
Adams, 67, added that the cancer “is already intolerable.”
“I can tell you that I don’t have good days. So if you are wondering, ‘Hey Scott, do you have any good days’? Nope. Nope. Every day is a nightmare and evening is even worse.” he said.
“I do have the ability to kind of get up for this part of the day, but I am in pain, and I’m always in pain. And the pain moves around to different parts of my body,” he said during the show. “I’ve been using a walker to walk for months now.”
Adams said he wouldn’t go into the details about treatments he'd undergone. However, he did mention that he attempted to use medications such as ivermectin and fenbendazole to no effect.
Adams had words of support for Biden and his family.
“I’d like to extend my respect and compassion and sympathy for the ex-president and his family, because they’re going to be going through an especially tough time,” he said.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management,” Biden’s office told media outlets. “The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
In a post on X on Monday morning, Biden included a photo of himself and his wife Jill Biden, and wrote: “Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
Prostate cancers are graded for aggressiveness using what’s known as a Gleason score. The scores range from 6 to 10, with 8, 9, and 10 prostate cancers behaving more aggressively. Biden’s office said his score was 9, suggesting his cancer is among the most aggressive.
A number of political leaders on both sides of the political aisle sent words of support to Biden after the announcement.
Trump, a longtime political opponent, wrote on social media that he was saddened by the news and “we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”
Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, said on social media that she was keeping him in her family’s “hearts and prayers during this time.”
Adams launched “Dilbert” in 1989. Known for its satirical office humor, the comic at one point appeared in thousands of newspapers across multiple languages.
In 2023, the strip was dropped by many publications after Adams made controversial comments on race.
