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Kristin Cabot is pushing back against the narrative behind the viral “Coldplay Kiss Cam” moment that derailed her career.
The former Astronomer HR executive claimed that her relationship with then-CEO Andy Byron was a byproduct of a high-intensity professional culture where sharing desks and social drinks were standard practice during an upcoming appearance on “The Oprah Podcast.”
Despite the global speculation about an illicit affair, Cabot maintained that she was already separated from her husband at the time and that he was aware of her “very close” working relationship with Byron. Cabot explained that her daughter alerted her to the fact that her estranged husband was attending the same Coldplay concert she was at with Byron on that fateful night.
“My daughter’s like, ‘This is so fun! Great!’ … and in my mind I thought, ‘Well, that’s… is this going to be weird if he sees me with Andy? Like, if I run into him,'” she told Oprah.
COLDPLAY KISS-CAM’S KRISTIN CABOT HITS MIAMI BEACH IN BIKINI BEFORE CRISIS CONFERENCE KEYNOTE
Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin wonders if a couple is having an affair as he caught them on the Kiss Cam. (@calebu2/TMX)
Cabot’s momentary worry didn’t linger for long.
“But then I was like, I’m at Gillette Stadium, there’s 55,000 people here. I’m probably not going to run into him. But it doesn’t matter – I mean, it would have been better at the end of the day if I had just run into him,” she explained. “But, you know, he knows – he knows how closely Andy and I work together. He knows we socially got lunches and got drinks. It was fine.”
“He knows the nature of my work and the way the relationships – I’ve shared desks with the CEOs I’ve worked with,” Cabot emphasized. “Like, it’s just a very close [relationship], and so it didn’t matter.”
During Coldplay’s performance on July 16, Byron appeared on the Kiss Cam with his arms wrapped around a woman, who was later identified as Cabot. The two were shown during Martin’s “The Jumbotron Song,” where the singer improvises lyrics about the couples shown to the crowd.
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin shouted out Kristin Cabot and Andy Byron during his July 16 show. (Robert Okine/Getty Images)
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Cabot immediately covered her face and turned away from the camera, while a stunned Byron ducked down and exited the frame. Martin then joked that, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
The moment ignited speculation of infidelity across social media as video of the exchange went viral. At the time, she was separated from her husband and Byron had claimed he was also separated. Cabot has since filed for divorce.
“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,” the company shared in a statement days later. “The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter, and we will have additional details to share very shortly.”
Coldplay continued their jumbotron moment even after the scandal. (NDZ/Star Max/GC Images/Getty Images)
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Gwyneth Paltrow starred in a commercial for Astronomer after the online viral moment. (Steven Ferdman)
On July 20, Astronomer informed its social media followers that Byron had resigned from the company. Cabot later resigned from her role as chief people officer at Astronomer, a week after the video of her cuddling up with Byron went viral.
The viral moment led to online chatter and even Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin’s ex-wife, poked fun at the Kiss Cam controversy by teaming up with Astronomer as their “temporary spokesperson.”
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