Introduction: The Man Behind the Cubicle Comic

Scott Adams, the American cartoonist born on June 8, 1957, is globally recognized as the creator of the satirical comic strip *Dilbert*, which lampoons corporate culture. While his professional work garnered worldwide acclaim, his personal life, particularly his two marriages, has also drawn public interest. This report provides a detailed overview of Adams' marital history, contextualized by his career and recent public controversies.

First Marriage: Shelly Miles (2006–2014)

On July 22, 2006, Scott Adams, then 49, married Shelly Miles, 37, in a ceremony aboard a yacht in San Francisco Bay. The couple had met four years prior at a health club in Pleasanton, California. This was Adams' first marriage and Miles' second. Through this union, Adams became a stepfather to Miles' two children from a previous relationship. The marriage lasted for approximately eight years before the couple divorced in 2014. Despite the separation, Adams stated that they remained on amicable terms, with Miles moving to a home just a block away. In a blog post, Adams attributed the split not to a lack of affection but to the challenges of blending their respective preferences and lifestyles.

Second Marriage: Kristina Basham (2020–2022)

Adams' second marriage was to Kristina Basham. The couple announced their engagement on Christmas Day 2019 and married on July 11, 2020. Basham, born in 1988, is a model, entrepreneur, and social media personality with a significant age difference of over 30 years with Adams. Basham has an extensive and varied professional background; reports indicate she is a licensed commercial pilot and flight instructor, has worked as a model for high-profile brands, and owns a bakery in San Francisco. She holds a bachelor's degree in Economics and a master's in Financial Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. Basham has two daughters, Hazel and Marin Hilsabeck, from a previous relationship. This marriage was short-lived, with Adams announcing their amicable divorce in March 2022, after less than two years together. The reasons for the split were kept private.

Current Status and Public Context

As of late 2025, Scott Adams is believed to be single. His personal life has unfolded against a backdrop of significant professional controversy. In February 2023, Adams made remarks on his YouTube show, "Real Coffee with Scott Adams," that were widely condemned as racist. He referred to Black Americans as a "hate group" following a Rasmussen Reports poll concerning the phrase "It's okay to be white." The fallout was immediate and severe. Numerous major newspapers, including the *Los Angeles Times* and *The Washington Post*, dropped the *Dilbert* comic strip. Subsequently, his syndicate, Andrews McMeel Universal, and his book publisher, Portfolio, severed their relationships with him. Adams claimed the controversy resulted in the loss of approximately 80% of his income. He later defended his comments as hyperbole but the damage to his public and professional standing was extensive. This context is crucial in understanding the public persona of the man behind the globally recognized comic strip.