Astronomer CEO Andy Byron ‘put on leave’ as girl who shared Coldplay kiss cam video declares ‘play stupid games, win stupid prizes’
Everything we know about the scandalous caught-on-camera moment
The married CEO of American tech firm Astronomer found himself in hot water after a kiss cam clip from a Coldplay concert went viral this week.
Astronomer CEO Andy Byron – who’s now been suspended – was seen in what looked to be a very friendly embrace with a colleague in a box at the Chris Martin gig. Following the scandal, fans and internet sleuths have been diving into the lives of everyone involved.
But what actually went on, and what have the parties involved said since? Here’s everything we know so far…
Coldplay’s Chris Martin ‘outed’ the ‘affair’ (Credit: Splash News)
Who was Andy Byron with at the Coldplay concert?
During the band’s show at Boston’s Gillette Stadium on Tuesday night (July 15), part of their Music of the Spheres World Tour, the camera projected a man, Andy Byron, with his arm around a woman’s waist on one of the big screens showing the gig.
After trying to hide from the camera, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin quipped: “Oh look at these two! Oh what? Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.”
Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.
Footage that’s gone viral on social media and video-sharing platforms shows 50-year-old Andy Byron, CEO of private data infrastructure and operations company Astronomer, with his arm around the waist of his co-worker Kristin Cabot. He quickly let go of Kristin and crouched down, while she covered her face with her hands.
Per the Daily Mail, Andy appeared to remark: “[Bleep]ing hell, it’s me.” Chief people officer Kristin the seemed to say: “This is awkward.”
The original TikTok, posted by another concertgoer, has amassed almost 50 million views and five million likes.
@instaagraace trouble in paradise?? 👀 #coldplay #boston #coldplayconcert #kisscam #fyp
Does Kristin Cabot have a husband?
It’s reported that Kristin divorced a Kenneth Thornby in 2022. The New York Post reported that they have at least one child together. Now, the Mail reports that Kristin is currently married – to another company CEO. The woman at the centre of the kiss cam scandal is currently married to Andrew Cabot, the chief executive of Privateer Rum, the paper claims.
It is unclear exactly when the pair tied the knot, but documents confirm that Kristin was married at the time of selling a $1.8m property earlier this year.
As well as her Astronomer work, she is an advisory board member for Privateer Rum.
Who is Andy Byron’s wife?
Andy is married to and has children with Megan Kerrigan Byron. After Megan faced a deluge of people commenting on her recent Facebook posts to tell her about the concert incident, she reportedly dropped Byron from her name. She then deleted her Facebook and Instagram account.
While it is unclear how close Andy and Kristin remain to their respective spouses – with it appearing they may both live apart from them, though not with each other – they were certainly not keen to be filmed in such an intimate clinch.
Andy, who became CEO of Astronomer in 2023, wrote about Kristin in November 2024 (via Page Six): “Kristin’s exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management, employee engagement, and scaling people strategies will be critical as we continue our rapid trajectory.
“She is a proven leader at multiple growth-stage companies. And, her passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces makes her a perfect fit for Astronomer.”
He has since deactivated or deleted his LinkedIn account.
A former colleague told the New York Post that former employees were laughing about the incident in group chats and “enjoying the hell out of what happened and him getting exposed”. The source went on to describe him as a “toxic” boss.
That CEO affair guy when the camera panned to them at the Coldplay concert. pic.twitter.com/cjP8HAcUFD
— Meg 🇨🇦 (@nut_meggy) July 17, 2025
What’s everyone said about the incident?
After first making a joke, Coldplay’s Chris did also express remorse for his quip during the same gig.
“Oh [bleep], I hope we didn’t do something bad,” he said. He later joked, after the camera landed on another man and woman: “Are you a legitimate couple?”
Andy’s ‘apology’
On X (Twitter), it was reported that Andy had shared a statement in his capacity as CEO, in which ‘he’ apologised.
However, other X users pointed out that the account sharing the statement purported to be that of a CBS News journalist, but had 50 followers, a crude name and an AI-generated profile photo. It also signed off with lyrics to the Coldplay hit Fit You.
Astronomer told TMZ that the statement is “not a real statement”.
The “statement from Astronomer CEO Andy Byron” that’s going around originated with a 50-follower account called “Peter Enis.” As in “P. Enis.” pic.twitter.com/z3Dl8VaxWD
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) July 17, 2025
Real statement from Astronomer
Overnight (July 18), the company he works for has shared two statements.
The first read: “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 Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly. Andy Byron has not put out any statement, reports saying otherwise are all incorrect.”
Further details did indeed follow. A new statement this morning stated that an interim CEO has now taken over. “Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is currently serving as interim CEO given Andy Byron has been placed on leave. We will share more details as appropriate in the coming days.”
Heading for divorce?
As well as his job seeming to be on the line, could Andy’s marriage also go down in flames?
If it is, the Mail reckons it could end up costing Byron a “sizeable” piece of his fortune. It’s estimated to be around £60m.
Girl who shared kiss cam footage speaks out
Meanwhile the Coldplay fan who shared her mobile phone footage of the incident has no regrets.
Grace Springer, 28, told the US Sun: “A part of me feels bad for turning these people’s lives upside down. But play stupid games, win stupid prizes. I hope their partners can heal from this and get a second chance at the happiness they deserve. My video was a blessing in disguise.”
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