Journalist Victoria Edel of People Magazine faced online backlash for an obituary she wrote for deceased cartoonist Scott Adams, who created the iconic character Dilbert. A section of the social media took offence to the article’s headline, which referred to Adams as “disgraced Dilbert creator.”
What followed was massive backlash against Edel. In response, People has changed the byline of the controversial article to People Staff, and Edel’s name has been removed. But the outrage over the article continued.
“People Magazine let Victoria Edel call Scott Adams “disgraced” in his obituary. This is exactly who they are. Believe them the first time,” wrote one user.
“Victoria Edel is the liberal who wrote the People headline: “Scott Adams, Disgraced Dilbert Creator” Awful.” wrote another.
“After posting their vile hit piece calling Scott Adams “disgraced” in an article about his passing, People Magazine has now deleted the Twitter post and edited the author of the article from “Victoria Edel” to “People Staff”…” said one.
“I knew Victoria Edel in college. She was a kind person. I would like to think she’s still a kind person,” Angela Morabito wrote. “Sometimes people – even kind ones – make mistakes.”
“This headline is one of those mistakes. So is online harassment. If you’re tempted to do that, touch grass instead.”
Scott Adams, however, was a controversial character who was cut off by major publications such as USA Today and the Washington Post after he was caught giving a racist rant in a livestream.
He said that Black people are a threat and asked White people to “stay the hell away” from Black Americans. He later defended his remarks, saying that they were hyperbolic.
Also read: Scott Adams dies at 68: Donald Trump pays heartfelt tribute to ‘fantastic guy’
Additionally, a comment he made after the death of his stepson from a fentanyl overdose also caused a massive controversy. Adams had said that he “watched his son die” because the parents of “dangerous” youth have two options: “watch them die or kill them.”
Who Is Victoria Edel?
Victoria Edel is a staff writer at People magazine, based in New York City. She covers pop culture, entertainment, celebrities, TV, movies, and related news for People. Before People, she was a writer for POPSUGAR.
Edel has had work published in outlets such as The New Yorker, The A.V. Club, The New York Observer, and Reductress. Her writing includes celebrity interviews, entertainment features, and trending news stories.