Not every viral moment is funny. At a Coldplay concert in July, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron wrapped his arms around Kristin Cabot, the company’s chief people officer. The “kiss cam” caught it, and social media went crazy. Within weeks, both of their careers collapsed.
But a source close to Cabot now says the story people ran with isn’t the truth. “Kristin and Andy had an excellent working relationship, a great friendship. There was no affair,” the source tells PEOPLE.
What Really Happened That Night At Coldplay
The Coldplay show at Gillette Stadium turned into headline fodder after Byron and Cabot tried to dodge the camera. Cabot covered her face. Byron slipped out of view. Even Chris Martin poked fun from the stage, joking, “Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
Memes followed. Paparazzi showed up. Both executives resigned. Astronomer said its leaders must meet a higher standard and confirmed Byron stepped down days before Cabot left.
According to the Cabot source, the concert was not a company event. It was a night out with friends. Her husband, Andrew, was also at the same concert on a date of his own. “Kristin and Andrew had been living apart,” the source says, adding she later filed for divorce in August.
The source admits the hug crossed a line. “It was inappropriate to be hugging your boss at a concert, and she accepts full responsibility for it,” the source says. But they push back hard against the “homewrecker” label. “The scandal, the downfall, the loss of the job — all of that is unfair.”
The fallout hit hard. Cabot reportedly received hundreds of threats in the first days after the clip spread. Strangers followed her, laughed at her, snapped pictures while she picked up her son. “It’s been hard for her to leave the house,” the source says.
Cabot, who has two children from a previous marriage, is now focusing on family. “She’s making sure her kids are okay, and that’s going to take time,” the source says.
Despite losing her job after only seven months, the source describes her as one of the hardest working people they know. Cabot spent more than two decades in advertising before moving into tech in 2016. “She’s a self-made person,” the source says.
For now, she leans on close friends and family. The frenzy may fade, but the people around her, the source insists, know exactly who she is.
