The July 16 Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts promised to be an unforgettable night for fans of the British rock band. However, while Chris Martin and his bandmates lit up the stage with their signature sound, a brief and unexpected moment became the night’s most talked-about act.
Martin unintentionally launched Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and HR Chief Kristin Cabot into the social media spotlight. And this was not for any reason they would have wanted.
Chris Martin Joked About Andy Byron And Kristin Cabot’s “Affair” Due To Their Bizarre Reaction
Coldplay’s Chris Martin accidentally exposed Astronomer CEO Andy Byron having an affair with his HR chief, Kristin Cabot 😬 pic.twitter.com/FqsJBQ2xGt
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) July 17, 2025
What began as a playful concert gimmick (the infamous “kiss cam”) quickly spiraled into a viral internet scandal. The camera zoomed in on Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot standing closely, draped in each other’s arms. In that split second, they smiled awkwardly, shifted away from each other, and attempted to hide their faces. This was a reaction that only fueled curiosity and suspicion among both concertgoers and internet sleuths.
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Chris Martin’s spontaneous onstage quip, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy,” might have been meant in jest. However, the moment took on a life of its own. What followed was a digital firestorm of viral clips, internet outrage, and sympathy for Byron’s wife. The video clip quickly made its rounds across X, TikTok, Reddit, and Instagram, amassing over 34 million views in just a few days.
The internet’s response was swift and brutal. The backlash reached far beyond Byron and Cabot. Many users turned their attention to Byron’s wife, Megan Kerrigan Byron, offering messages of sympathy. However, it quickly escalated into online harassment. Her Facebook account was reportedly flooded with comments, prompting her to remove “Byron” from her name before ultimately deleting the account entirely.
Byron, who is married with two children and resides in New York, hasn’t addressed the incident. Cabot, who also reportedly goes by the name Kristin Thornby, is speculated to be married as well. But her current relationship status remains unclear. Neither of them has issued a public statement or even a denial, and the silence has only amplified speculation.
Elon Musk And Coldplay React To The Viral Ordeal
While the internet picked apart every detail of the now-viral footage, Astronomer remained eerily quiet. The company disabled comments on its social media platforms and has made no official statement, even as the scandal took center stage in tech circles. Meanwhile, Andy Byron deleted his LinkedIn profile after turning off comments on all previous posts. Screenshots of coldplay-themed jabs and disgruntled messages continue to circulate.
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The incident has unearthed long-standing criticism of Byron’s leadership. Former employees have now come forward, labeling him “toxic,” “sales-obsessed,” and “morally inconsistent.” Some called the viral moment “karmic justice,” referencing both current and past allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior from Byron. Even Astronomer co-founder Ry Walker took to social media to publicly distance himself from the scandal.
He clarified that he left the company in 2022 and has “no involvement” in current operations. In a bizarre twist, even Elon Musk chimed in, reacting with a laughing emoji to a fake apology letter circulating on X. Meanwhile, Coldplay themselves took a light-hearted jab at the moment, posting on X: “Now offering camera-free zones for people and their sidepieces.”
