Cartoonist and social commentator Scott Adams revealed Monday that he has Stage 4 prostate cancer, the same aggressive form of the disease that President Joe Biden’s office announced he has.
Adams made the announcement during his Monday broadcast of Real Coffee With Scott Adams, his daily podcast, using the moment to share personal details about his diagnosis, prognosis, and his decision to keep it private until now.
“I have the same cancer Joe Biden has,” Adams said during the podcast. “I also have prostate cancer that has also spread to my bones.” He added that he believes he’s had it longer than Biden — or at least longer than Biden has publicly acknowledged.
President Biden’s diagnosis was confirmed Sunday in a statement from his office, which said doctors had found a prostate nodule after Biden experienced urinary symptoms. Tests confirmed a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) — the most aggressive form — and metastasis to his bones.
Adams, originally from Windham, New York, offered sympathy to the former president and his family before making his own announcement.
“I expect to be checking out from this domain sometime this summer,” Adams told viewers. “The disease is already intolerable. I can tell you that I don’t have good days.”
Adams explained he had kept his diagnosis quiet to avoid becoming “just the dying cancer guy,” and said he chose to reveal it now in the wake of Biden’s announcement to deflect some of the expected public reaction.
“I was hoping the attention on Biden having the same cancer would lure away some of the online attention,” he said.
He also acknowledged the potential for criticism and conspiracy theories, especially online. “People are going to say it’s because I got the COVID shot. There’s no indication that that makes a difference,” Adams said. “They’re going to say it’s because I lived a bad life.”
Adams said he’s been using a walker for months and is now considering California’s End of Life Option Act, which allows terminally ill patients to request physician-assisted death. He previously advocated for the law when it was under consideration.
“In California, once you get to the point where you’re definitely going to die, there is a very civilized process where you can get some juice that you drink that makes you fall asleep and then you pass away,” Adams said.
Despite the grim announcement, Adams continued his show with commentary on political and social issues, including university hiring practices and the federal budget — a return to his often-controversial commentary style.
Medical experts say that while Stage 4 prostate cancer is not curable, it is often manageable. “It’s very treatable, but not curable,” Dr. Matthew Smith of Massachusetts General Brigham Cancer Center told the Associated Press. He said patients with the condition can often live for four or five years.
Biden’s office said his cancer is hormone-sensitive, which improves the effectiveness of treatments, and that he is reviewing options with his physicians.
©2025 Cox Media Group
