WASHINGTON: “Dilbert” comic strip creator Scott Adams experienced possibly the biggest repercussion of his recent comments about race when distributor Andrews McMeel Universal announced on Sunday it would no longer work with the cartoonist. Andrews McMeel chairman Hugh Andrews and CEO and President Andy Sareyan said in a joint statement that the syndication company was “severing our relationship” with Adams. In the February 22 episode of his YouTube show, Adams described people who are black as members of “a hate group” from which white people should “get away”. Various media publishers across the US denounced the comments as racist, hateful and discriminatory while saying they would no longer provide a platform for his work.
Andrews and Sareyan said Andrews McMeel supports free speech, but the comments by the cartoonist were not compatible with the core values of the company. “We’re proud to promote and share many different voices and perspectives. But we’ll never support any commentary rooted in discrimination or hate,” they said in the statement posted on the company website and Twitter.
The creator of the long-running comic defended himself on social media against those whom he said “hate me and are cancelling me”. The backlash against Adams arose following comments on “Real Coffee with Scott Adams.” Among other topics, Adams used the show to reference a Rasmussen Reports survey that had asked whether people agreed with the statement “It’s OK to be white.” “Dilbert” had already been dropped by media outlets, including New York Times, by the time of the announcement from its distributor.
Andrews and Sareyan said Andrews McMeel supports free speech, but the comments by the cartoonist were not compatible with the core values of the company. “We’re proud to promote and share many different voices and perspectives. But we’ll never support any commentary rooted in discrimination or hate,” they said in the statement posted on the company website and Twitter.
The creator of the long-running comic defended himself on social media against those whom he said “hate me and are cancelling me”. The backlash against Adams arose following comments on “Real Coffee with Scott Adams.” Among other topics, Adams used the show to reference a Rasmussen Reports survey that had asked whether people agreed with the statement “It’s OK to be white.” “Dilbert” had already been dropped by media outlets, including New York Times, by the time of the announcement from its distributor.