Kristin Cabot, former head of HR at Astronomer, has broken her silence following a viral Coldplay kisscam moment that sparked widespread online speculation. During a recent concert, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin focused the stadium camera on Cabot and CEO Andy Byron, joking, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
The clip, filmed by another concertgoer and shared on TikTok, quickly went viral, drawing millions of views and an online hunt to identify the couple. Despite widespread assumptions of infidelity, Cabot clarified that the embrace was the first physical moment between her and Byron, and that both were amicably separated from their partners at the time.
“I could have been struck by lightning, I could have won the lottery, or this could have happened,” Cabot told The Times. “But I’m not some celebrity, I’m just a mom from New Hampshire.”
Cabot joined Astronomer in November after being headhunted for her experience in major advertising firms. She described Byron as a supportive leader who ensured women “had a seat at the table,” marking the company as the first male-dominated workplace where she felt her gender was not an issue.
About a month before the concert, Cabot and Byron had mutually disclosed their separations from their respective partners. Over time, their professional support evolved into what Cabot called “a big happy crush.” On the night of the concert, they believed they were anonymous among tens of thousands of fans, but the kisscam moment thrust them into the spotlight unexpectedly.
“My immediate reaction was, ‘Holy s***, Andrew’s here,’” Cabot recalled, referring to her estranged husband, Andrew Byron, who was also at the concert. “Then a beat later my mind turns to, ‘Oh God, Andy’s my effing boss.’”
The couple quickly left the stadium and alerted Astronomer’s board. By early morning, the video had gone viral. Cabot faced harsh online criticism, describing herself as “the most maligned HR manager in HR history,” and rejected accusations that she had sought career advancement through her relationship with Byron.
Astronomer attempted to use humor to address the viral moment, hiring actress Gwyneth Paltrow for a PR stunt, which Cabot described as insulting. The backlash affected her family as well, with her children distressed by the viral attention.
Following an internal investigation, Byron resigned within days, and the company found no evidence of an affair, though leadership standards had not been met. Cabot stepped down shortly after, citing the intense online scrutiny as a barrier to maintaining her role.
She has since filed for divorce and spoken publicly to raise awareness about the harms of online shaming. “I’ve struggled to find work and have been told I’m ‘unemployable,’” she said. Cabot has hired a communications adviser and is advocating for greater understanding of the personal consequences of viral moments.
