Kristin Cabot’s husband had his own date at Coldplay concert as she hugged boss on kiss-cam. Report

Neither Andy Byron nor Kristin Cabot have commented directly on the matter since leaving the company.

The former head of human resources at Astronomer, Kristin Cabot, and the company’s then chief executive, Andy Byron, both left their positions after being filmed in an embrace during a Coldplay concert in Massachusetts, an incident that quickly went viral and led to widespread speculation about their personal lives.

The pair were captured on a stadium screen during the band’s “Music of the Spheres” tour at Gillette Stadium. The broadcast showed Cabot, 52, and Byron, 51, holding each other closely before attempting to cover their faces as the camera focused on them. Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin, responding from the stage, remarked: “Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”

The footage circulated rapidly online, prompting memes, commentary, and recreations at other events. Within 24 hours, Astronomer announced Byron’s resignation, citing a breach of corporate conduct standards. Cabot stepped down less than a week later.

Reports at the time suggested that Cabot’s husband, Andrew Cabot, a descendant of the Privateer Rum family, had been overseas on business in Japan. However, the Times later disclosed that he had been at the same concert on a date.

A source confirmed: “He was in fact at the same Coldplay concert as Kristin. They had been separated and living apart for several weeks. It was amicable. Kristin was in the box with people from work, though it wasn’t a company box, and Andrew was actually there too with a date, with a woman who is now his girlfriend.”

The same source said that Kristin Cabot had felt unable to comment publicly during divorce proceedings: “Kristin wasn’t hiding, she doesn’t know why she ducked. She knew it was inappropriate to behave that way with her boss as the head of HR. It was not that she was caught cheating, it was not some affair. She fully acknowledges [the hug] was inappropriate, but that was the only inappropriate thing she did.”

Another individual close to Cabot told People magazine that the relationship between Cabot and Byron had been mischaracterised: “Kristin and Andy had an excellent working relationship, a great friendship. There was no affair. It was inappropriate to be hugging your boss at a concert, and she accepts full responsibility for it. But the scandal, the downfall, the loss of the job — all of that is unfair.”

The same source added that Cabot had been subjected to intense harassment following the incident: “Kristin had people standing outside her car while she was picking her son up from work, grown women laughing, taking pictures, pointing. She received about 900 death threats on her phone in the first three days.”

They continued: “It is important to note how inappropriately mislabeled Kristin has been — as a homewrecker. It’s unfathomable to witness what happened, and how devastating it can be, for not just individuals, but entire families. These are real people and real families. The way people have taken a lot of enjoyment at their expense, it’s hard to see.”

Court records confirmed that Kristin Cabot filed for divorce on August 13. A spokesperson for Andrew Cabot said: “Their decision to divorce was already underway prior to that evening. Now that the divorce filing is public, Andrew hopes this provides respectful closure to speculation and allows his family the privacy they’ve always valued.”

Neither Byron nor Cabot have commented directly on the matter since leaving the company.