What started as a fun concert moment quickly spiraled into a viral scandal when Coldplay’s Chris Martin unintentionally drew attention to a rumored affair involving a well-known tech CEO and his HR chief.
This incident, which took place during the band’s recent show in Boston, has sent social media into a frenzy, sparking discussions about workplace ethics, public humiliation, and the risks of concealing secrets while at a stadium concert.
The Kiss Cam Catastrophe That Went Viral
During Coldplay’s performance at Gillette Stadium, frontman Chris Martin got the crowd involved with the classic “kiss cam,” a playful segment where couples share a romantic moment on the big screen. However, when the camera focused on Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot, things shifted from sweet to scandalous.
Recognizing they were on display for thousands, the couple instantly panicked. Byron ducked behind a barrier, and Cabot buried her face in her hands. Sensing the awkwardness, Martin jokingly remarked,
“Oh look at these two… either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy.”
The crowd burst into laughter, completely unaware that his joke hit a little too close to home.
Videos of the moment spread rapidly, racking up millions of views on TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and Reddit. Online detectives quickly identified the two, revealing that Byron is married to Megan Kerrigan Byron, while Cabot’s marital status is less clear though her LinkedIn previously included a second surname, Thornby.
Coldplay accidentally exposed an alleged affair between Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his colleague Kristin Cabot at one of their recent concerts. pic.twitter.com/hsJHV2u5UM
— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 17, 2025
Who Are Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot?
The CEO Under Fire
Andy Byron has been at the helm of Astronomer, a $1.3 billion data infrastructure startup, since July 2023. The company, known for its Apache Airflow-powered platform, Astro, recently moved its headquarters to New York. Before this incident, Byron was recognized for his leadership in enterprise software rather than for romantic links with his HR chief.
The HR Executive in the Spotlight
Kristin Cabot joined Astronomer just nine months ago as Chief People Officer. She characterizes her role as one focused on “people strategy rather than traditional human resources.” Her LinkedIn boasts about “winning trust with employees of all levels, from CEOs to assistants,” a claim that now carries a rather ironic undertone.
When she first joined, Byron praised her as “a proven leader with a zeal for cultivating diverse workplaces.” Cabot, likewise, expressed her enthusiasm about collaborating with Byron, stating she felt “energized by discussions with him and the leadership team.”
Public Backlash and the Fallout
The internet didn’t hold back in analyzing the situation. Responses ranged from sympathy for Byron’s wife to disbelief at the couple’s risky behavior:
“Why go to a packed concert if you’re hiding a secret?”
“Sorry for the wife, but glad they’re being exposed.”
“This is karma at work.”
Megan Kerrigan Byron, the CEO’s wife, deactivated her Facebook account soon after the video went viral, which only fueled speculation about the status of their marriage. Meanwhile, neither Byron nor Cabot has made a public statement regarding the allegations, placing Astronomer’s corporate culture under a spotlight.
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