Former Astronomer HR speaks out after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' incident: 'Took the bulk of abuse'

A source previously told People magazine that there was 'no affair' between Kristin Cabot and Andy Byron.

Kristin Cabot, the former head of human resources at US software company Astronomer, has publicly addressed the viral Coldplay concert incident that placed her and the firm’s then chief executive, Andy Byron, under intense public scrutiny, saying the episode permanently altered her professional and personal life.

In interviews with The New York Times and The Times of London, Cabot described the July incident at Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres tour stop in Boston as a moment of serious misjudgement, while also condemning the scale of the online backlash that followed.

“I made a bad decision and had a couple of High Noons and danced and acted inappropriately with my boss,” Cabot told The New York Times. “And it’s not nothing. And I took accountability and I gave up my career for that. That’s the price I chose to pay.”

Cabot, a 53-year-old mother of two, said she wanted her children to understand that mistakes carry consequences but should not result in threats of violence. “I want my kids to know that you can make mistakes, and you can really screw up,” she said. “But you don’t have to be threatened to be killed for them.”

The incident occurred when Cabot and Byron appeared briefly on the stadium’s giant screen during a segment known as “The Jumbotron Song”, in which Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin improvised lyrics about audience members. As the camera focused on them, Cabot turned away and covered her face, while Byron ducked out of view. Martin remarked to the crowd: “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”

Cabot said she had not realised the camera was on them. “I didn’t hear the announcement that the jumbotron was coming, so suddenly I’m just seeing us on screen,” she told the UK Times.

She described an immediate rush of fear and embarrassment. “My immediate reaction was, ‘Holy s---, Andrew’s here,’” she said, referring to her estranged husband, who was also at the concert with a separate group of friends. “Then a beat later, my mind turns to, ‘Oh God, Andy’s my effing boss. This is a bad look.’”

At the time of the concert, both Cabot and Byron were separated from their spouses. Cabot later confirmed that she formally filed for divorce on August 13, with both parties agreeing to keep proceedings private.

Cabot told The New York Times that she and Byron had bonded earlier in the year over their respective marital difficulties. Recalling a conversation from the spring, she said she had confided in him about her marriage, to which he replied: “I’m going through the same thing.” She said that exchange “sort of strengthened our connection”.

She admitted that her feelings developed quickly. “I had big feelings,” she said, adding that she believed she could manage them. “I was like: ‘I got this. I can have a crush. I can handle it.’”

On the night of the concert, Cabot said she met Byron along with friends and later consumed several alcoholic drinks, including tequila cocktails. She confirmed that they shared their first and only kiss that evening. “We were just dancing,” she told the UK Times. “I’d had a few High Noons. Andy was standing behind me, and we were dancing, and I grabbed him.”

She said that part of her knew the situation was risky. “Some inside part of my brain might have been jumping up and down and waving its arms, saying, ‘Don’t do this,’” she told The New York Times.

Following the viral spread of the clip, Astronomer issued a public statement emphasising its expectations of leadership conduct and announcing a formal board investigation. Byron was placed on leave and later resigned as chief executive. The company said his resignation had been accepted and that a search for a new CEO was under way.

Cabot also stepped down from her role as head of HR. She said the decision effectively ended her corporate career. “It has been like a scarlet letter,” she told the UK Times. “People erased everything I’d accomplished in my life and achieved in my career. This can’t be the final word.”

She said the online reaction was overwhelming and deeply frightening. “My kids were afraid that I was going to die and they were going to die,” she told The New York Times. Cabot said she was doxxed, followed by photographers, and received repeated threatening messages. While some reports claimed she received hundreds of death threats, she clarified: “Not 900. That showed up in People magazine. I got 50 or 60.”

Cabot said the criticism fell disproportionately on her. “I think as a woman, as women always do, I took the bulk of the abuse,” she said. “People would say things like I was a ‘gold-digger’ or I ‘slept my way to the top’, which just couldn’t be further from reality.”

She rejected claims that her career success was tied to personal relationships. “The amount I sacrificed to get where I did in my career, the amount of hands I’ve had to take off my ass over the years, comments I’ve had to swat away from men,” she said.

A source previously told People magazine that there was “no affair” between Cabot and Byron, describing their relationship as a close professional friendship that crossed a boundary. “It was inappropriate to be hugging your boss at a concert, and she accepts full responsibility for it,” the source said, adding that the consequences had been excessive.

Reflecting on how quickly her life changed, Cabot told the UK Times: “I could have been struck by lightning, I could have won the lottery, or this could have happened. But I’m not some celebrity — I’m just a mum from New Hampshire.”

She added: “Even if I did have an affair, it’s not anybody’s business.”