In a candid interview published Thursday, Kristin Cabot, the former chief people officer at tech firm Astronomer, opened up for the first time about the viral kiss cam moment at a Coldplay concert that upended her professional and personal life four months ago. Cabot, who was caught on camera getting cozy with Astronomer's then-CEO Andy Byron, described the incident as a "bad decision" fueled by a few drinks and emotional vulnerability during her separation from her husband. The moment, which unfolded during a concert in 2025, quickly spiraled into a national scandal, leading to Byron's resignation, Cabot's departure from the company, and a barrage of online backlash including death threats against her family.
The incident occurred at a Coldplay show where the kiss cam spotlighted Cabot and Byron, both in the midst of personal upheavals. According to Cabot's account in The New York Times, she had joined Astronomer in November 2024 as its head of human resources after interviewing with Byron over the summer. The two "clicked, stylistically," she said, and their connection deepened as both navigated separations from their spouses. Byron, 50, reportedly told her in spring 2025, "I’m going through the same thing," during a conversation about her situation.
At the concert, Cabot recalled having "a couple of High Noons"—hard seltzers—and dancing inappropriately with her boss. Byron had his arms wrapped around her until the camera caught them, at which point he dropped out of sight to hide, and she turned to shield her face. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin addressed the awkward scene live, saying, “Whoa, look at these two. All right, come on. You’re OK. Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy. I’m not quite sure what to do. I hope we didn’t do something bad.” The clip exploded online, amplified by the fact that both Cabot and Byron were still legally married at the time—Cabot to Andrew Cabot and Byron to Megan Kerrigan Byron.
The viral video prompted immediate repercussions. Megan Kerrigan Byron appeared to remove “Byron” from her Facebook profile, drawing media attention, while Cabot filed for divorce from her husband shortly after. Cabot told The New York Times that the kiss at the concert was the first and only time she and Byron had done so, emphasizing, “I made a bad decision and had a couple of High Noons and danced and acted inappropriately with my boss. And it’s not nothing.” She reflected on the embarrassment, noting, “I was so embarrassed and so horrified. I’m the head of H.R. and he’s the C.E.O. It’s, like, so cliché and so bad. We both just sat there with our heads in our hands, like, ‘What just happened?’”
Professionally, the fallout was swift. Byron resigned as CEO in July 2025, according to a statement from Astronomer provided to Us Weekly. The company emphasized its commitment to values, stating, “Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.” The board accepted his resignation, with cofounder and chief product officer Pete DeJoy stepping in as interim CEO while a search for a permanent replacement began.
The statement continued to reassure stakeholders about the company's focus amid the publicity: “Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI. While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not. We’re continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems.” Byron declined to comment for Cabot's New York Times profile.
Cabot, who stepped down from her role as chief people officer, described taking accountability as a deliberate choice. “I took accountability and I gave up my career for that. That’s the price I chose to pay,” she said. The scandal's personal toll was profound, particularly on her family. She received countless death threats in the months following the concert, which escalated fears for her safety. “They were already in really bad shape, and that’s when the wheels fell off the cart,” Cabot shared, referring to her family's concerns. Her 14-year-old daughter cried at the outset, and Cabot explained the situation to her children by saying, “He and I got very swept up in a moment and now it’s on social media.”
“I want my kids to know that you can make mistakes, and you can really screw up. But you don’t have to be threatened to be killed for them,” Cabot added, highlighting the disproportionate backlash she faced. The threats made her children afraid that “I was going to die and they were going to die,” she recounted. Despite the initial connection with Byron, their contact has been minimal since the summer. Early post-scandal conversations were practical, like “Hi. It’s 11 o’clock on a Tuesday. Any advice?” But in September 2025, they met and agreed to limit communication to aid healing, deciding that “speaking with each other was going to make it too hard for everyone to move on and heal.”
“I’m the head of H.R. and he’s the C.E.O. It’s, like, so cliché and so bad.”
— Kristin Cabot, to The New York Times
The Coldplay kiss cam scandal thrust Astronomer, a Cincinnati-based tech company specializing in data orchestration, into an unexpected spotlight. Founded in 2016, the firm had built a reputation for innovative solutions in DataOps, serving clients in analytics and AI without prior tabloid fame. The incident, however, shifted public perception overnight, with social media users quick to judge the executives' behavior given their marital statuses and professional roles.
Cabot's interview marks a rare public reflection from someone at the center of such a high-profile mishap. While Byron has remained silent, Cabot's narrative underscores themes of accountability and resilience amid public scrutiny. She emphasized owning her actions without excusing them, positioning the episode as a cautionary tale for her children about the consequences of personal lapses in a hyper-connected world.
Broader implications for corporate leadership have emerged in the wake of the resignations. Industry observers note that scandals involving top executives can erode trust in company culture, particularly when HR leaders are implicated. Astronomer has not commented further on Cabot's departure beyond confirming her exit, but the firm's statement in July suggested a focus on restoring its professional image.
As Cabot moves forward post-divorce and away from the corporate world, she hopes her story serves as a lesson. The death threats, which she described as relentless, prompted safety concerns that lingered for months. Law enforcement was not mentioned in her account, but the emotional impact on her family remains a key focus of her reflections.
Looking ahead, Astronomer's search for a new CEO continues under DeJoy's interim leadership. The company, which employs around 200 people and boasts clients like Fortune 500 firms, aims to pivot back to its core mission. For Cabot, the path involves rebuilding privately, away from the cameras that once defined her most public mistake.
The episode also reignited discussions about workplace boundaries and the perils of off-hours fraternization among executives. While Cabot and Byron's interaction was isolated to that one evening, the optics—especially on a jumbotron—proved damaging. Coldplay's lighthearted intervention now stands as an ironic footnote to a saga that cost two careers.