Kristin Cabot was the former Chief People Officer at Astronomer, a billion-dollar tech startup. Then there was that Coldplay concert, and everything fell apart.
Kristin Cabot went to see a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on July 16th, 2025. She was in attendance with her boss, Andy Byron, the CEO. Byron had an arm around her when the kiss cam hit them. They were cuddling. Smiling. Looking cozy.
But then they saw themselves on the Jumbotron. Byron ducked. Cabot turned her face away and buried it in both hands. Too late. Chris Martin, the frontman of Coldplay, saw their response. “Either they are cheating or really shy,” he said, from the stage.
The video went viral. (TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter; over 127 million views) Within hours, the internet sleuths had identified them both. Byron was married with kids. Cabot appeared to be married,d too. Neither of them was married to the other.
Who She Was
Kristin Cabot’s age and personal details were removed from the internet almost immediately after it happened. Kristin Cabot’s LinkedIn profile was deleted. Kristin Cabot Instagram and Kristin Cabot Twitter? Private or gone.
Prior to the Coldplay fiasco, Cabot had more than two decades of experience in people and culture leadership. She’s been with Astronomer since November of 2024, a mere eight months before the kiss cam debacle. Byron lauded her hiring at the time, saying she “brings a significant wealth of leadership experience and knowledge to Astronomer” and that “her passion for creating diverse and collaborative cultures makes her a perfect fit for Astronomer.”
Cabot called the type of people-centric role she once had “people strategy versus traditional human resources.” She informed the company that she didn’t want to be just HR. She wanted to develop culture, involve employees, and grow the organization. Standard corporate speak, but it felt like she meant it.
The irony now is obvious. And the head of human resources, with responsibility for office behavior and employee discipline, was caught in what appeared to be an affair with her married boss. The one who establishes professional norms becomes the walking example of what not to do on the job.
What Happened After
One week following that kiss cam incident, searches for both ‘Kristin Cabot speaks out’ and Kristin Cabot husband speaks out began to trend. Except neither of them had uttered anything publicly. Complete silence from both sides.
Byron resigned first. The Astronomer board placed him on leave, began an official investigation, and then agreed to accept his resignation on July 19. The company said in a statement that Byron “” failed to meet its standards in conduct and accountability.”
Cabot stepped down on July 24, one week after Byron. Astronomer spokesperson confirmed to multiple outlets: “Kristin Cabot is no longer with Astronomer. She has resigned.”
Both of them were removed from the company’s “Meet the Team” webpage. Gone. Like they never worked there.
Are Kristin Cabot and Andy Byron still together? Nobody knows. Neither has commented publicly. Megan Kerrigan Byron, Andy’s wife, scrubbed her married name from Facebook and then deleted her account entirely. That tells you something.
Cabot was photographed for the first time since the incident, a few days after resigning. She wasn’t wearing her wedding ring. That also tells you something.
The Fallout
An astronomer became a household name overnight. Not in a good way.
Pete DeJoy, cofounder, stepped in as interim CEO. He addressed it on LinkedIn: “The spotlight has been unusual and surreal for our team.”
The Philadelphia Phillies mocked the incident by putting their mascot on the jumbotron cuddling with another character. Someone sold sweatshirts saying, “I TOOK MY SIDEPIECE TO THE COLDPLAY CONCERT, AND IT RUINED MY LIFE.”
Memes everywhere. Comparisons to Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy. Jokes about Coldplay being the villain for having a kiss cam.
A fake apology statement from Byron went viral, too. Millions of views, even though an astronomer confirmed it wasn’t real.
What Nobody’s Asking
What were they thinking, going to a public concert together? Did they not realize kiss cams exist?
Or maybe they didn’t care until it happened. Maybe they thought they were being discreet enough. Maybe they forgot where they were.
Either way, the lack of judgment is staggering. These are executives at a billion-dollar company. Byron was CEO. Cabot ran HR. They should’ve known better.
The fact that Cabot joined just eight months before raises questions. Was something going on from the start? Did Byron hire her because of an existing relationship? Did it develop after?
We’ll probably never know. Neither’s talking.
Where Things Stand Now
As of December 2025, both Byron and Cabot have vanished from the public eye. No statements. No interviews. No social media presence. Just silence.
Astronomer is hoping to push ahead with new interim CEO Pete DeJoy. The company’s still operating. They are still worth more than a billion dollars. The hit to the reputation, however, is massive.
The employees at the company have to be mortified. The CEO and the Chief People Officer just became the biggest workplace scandal of 2019. How do you recover from that?
The short answer is you don’t, not really. You put your head down and work and hope that everyone gets amnesia. Which they will, because there’s always another scandal for the internet to fixate on.
But for Byron and Cabot, this follows them forever. Google their names, and the first 100 results are about the kiss cam incident. Try to apply for a new executive role, and this is what comes up during the background check.
The Reality
Kristin Cabot made bad decisions that ended her career. Attending Coldplay with her married boss while apparently married herself. Getting cozy on camera. Panicking in a way that confirmed everyone’s suspicions.
But she’s human. People make mistakes. They fall for the wrong person. They let their guard down when they shouldn’t.
The punishment seems wildly out of proportion. She lost her job, reputation, and privacy. Marriage might be over. HR career probably finished. All because of five seconds on a kiss cam.
Is that fair? Depends on who you ask. Some think workplace affairs between executives deserve harsh consequences. Others think personal life shouldn’t destroy professional life.
The court of public opinion doesn’t do nuance. Byron and Cabot became villains the moment Chris Martin made that comment.
What Happens Next
Byron and Cabot’s whereabouts remain unknown. Working? Hiding? Trying to salvage their marriages? Starting fresh in a place where no one knows them?
The internet’s already moved on to the next scandal. The memes have died down, for the most part. An astronomer is gradually gaining in repute.
But for Byron and Cabot, this is forever. You can’t undo 127 million views. And you can never rescind a kiss cam moment that defined you in the worst way imaginable.
So yeah. That’s the story of Kristin Cabot and how one Coldplay concert destroyed two careers in five seconds. A lesson about workplace romance, media intrusion, and the lifelong repercussions of a moment of poor judgment.
FAQ
Did Kristin Cabot break any laws?
No. There has been no allegation or evidence of illegal activity. The consequences she faced were related to workplace conduct and reputational concerns, not criminal or civil violations.
Was Kristin Cabot fired from Astronomer?
No. Astronomer confirmed that Kristin Cabot resigned from her position. The company did not publicly state whether the resignation was voluntary or requested.
Why was the situation considered more serious because of her role?
As Chief People Officer, Cabot was responsible for workplace culture, ethics, and employee conduct. Any perceived relationship with the CEO created concerns about power imbalance, judgment, and conflict of interest.
Did Coldplay or Chris Martin respond after the backlash?
Coldplay did not issue an official statement regarding the incident. Chris Martin’s comment was made in the moment during the concert and was not followed by further public remarks.
Will this incident permanently affect Kristin Cabot’s career?
While it has significantly damaged her public reputation, it is impossible to know the long-term impact. Some executives recover privately over time, while others are permanently associated with high-profile scandals.
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