IT was a seemingly light-hearted moment at a Coldplay concert that resulted in two red-faced high-flyers from a tech firm being accused of having an affair.
Now married chief exec Andy Byron and his HR supremo Kristin Cabot have disappeared off the radar after their cosy embrace went viral, sparking a riot of memes online.
And yesterday a former colleague claimed employees who had worked with “toxic” Byron were “laughing their a** off” at him being exposed.
The trouble began when Byron — boss of billion-dollar IT firm Astronomer — and his colleague Cabot were caught with their arms around each other on a “kiss cam” at Coldplay’s gig in Boston on Wednesday.
When the image of them cosying up flashed on the Gillette Stadium’s big screen, the embarrassed pair immediately sprung apart.
A TikTok video of the cringeworthy moment that has racked up 45million views shows Cabot covering her face as Byron appears to exclaim: “F*ing hell, it’s me!”
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin joked: “Look at these two. Oh oh, what?
“Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
The crowd erupted in laughter — but the social media frenzy dubbed ColdplayGate has been anything but a joke for Byron, 50, and Cabot, 52.
Social media sleuths figured out who the pair were shortly after the footage was posted online in the early hours of Thursday.
Since July 2023, Byron has been CEO of $1.3billion-valued company Astronomer, while Cabot joined the New York-based firm as Chief People Officer nine months ago.
‘Getting out of hand’
Byron’s 50-year-old wife Megan Kerrigan Byron — with whom he is believed to have two kids — then seemingly confirmed the cheating allegations by removing his surname from her Facebook profile name.
Cabot and Byron also appeared to delete their LinkedIn profiles.
Before her page vanished, Cabot boasted on the professional social networking service that she “wins trust with employees of all levels, from CEOs to managers to assistants”.
Byron gushingly praised her “exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management” when she joined his company.
In return, Cabot — who public records show was divorced from ex-husband Kenneth Thornby in 2022 — waxed lyrical about being “energised in my conversations with Andy and the Astronomer leadership team”.
Several apologies by jokers pretending to be Byron circulated online.
One, re-posted by billionaire X owner Elon Musk said: “Let me start by apologising to my family, my wife, and our wonderful employees. “My behaviour is inexcusable and the shame I am receiving is well deserved.
“I tried to hide my actions but the truth has finally been revealed. I am a Coldplay fan.
“And not just of the first two albums. I also like the recent stuff. “I am going to take some time to contemplate my future. Please respect our family’s privacy at this time.”
Another fake statement pretending to be Byron referenced the lyrics of Coldplay’s hit Fix You and blamed the band for the incident.
It read: “This is not who I want to be or how I want to represent the company I helped build.
“I’m taking time to reflect, to take accountability, and to figure out the next steps, personally and professionally. I ask for privacy as I navigate that process.
“I also want to express how troubling it is that what should have been a private moment became public without my consent.
“I respect artists and entertainers, but I hope we can all think more deeply about the impact of turning someone else’s life into a spectacle. “
As a friend once sang: ‘Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you.’”
Astronomer told US celebrity news website TMZ that it was “not a real statement”.
The Sun has approached Astronomer for comment.
Mocked-up merchandise ideas also did the rounds, including one post of a man wearing a T-shirt which read: “I took my sidepiece to the Coldplay concert and it ruined my life.”
Social media users piled in with jokes poking fun at Byron, Cabot and Coldplay, who are currently on their Music of the Spheres world tour and are set to perform in Madison, Wisconsin tonight before dates in the UK next month.
X user Don Lewis joked: “I would like to thank Coldplay for bringing the nation together. For a day, you fixed us.”
Eric Matheny wrote above the picture of Byron hugging Cabot from behind: “Coldplay hasn’t made a single in years. Last night, they made two.”
Marisa Baldassaro poked fun at the band, saying: “I’d divorce my husband just for attending a Coldplay concert.”
Another user quipped: “Coldplay should out people at every concert and say that they’ve just been Coldplayed.”
Referring to the ongoing scandal in the US over late paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein’s client list, another wrote: “Maybe Coldplay can reveal the Epstein list too.”
Scores of users have recreated the kiss cam scene with the faces of Epstein and Donald Trump, joking the band’s concerts were “getting out of hand”.
Other light-hearted images referencing the couples embrace include shamed ex-minister Matt Hancock snogging his lover Gina Coladangelo and Wayne Rooney embracing a granny.
‘Blessing in disguise’
Meanwhile, a source told the New York Post that former employees who had worked with Byron were revelling in his misfortune.
The unnamed former colleague said: “The text groups and chains of former employees are like, everybody’s laughing their a off and enjoying the hell out of what happened and him getting exposed.”
The source is said to have described Byron as “toxic” in the workplace, with an alleged reputation for being aggressive and sales-obsessed.
An article published last year about cybersecurity tech company Cybereason, where he worked as chief revenue officer in 2017, said: “Multiple former employees said Mr Byron would lash out against employees who disagreed with him, including threatening to fire them.”
A former employee told tech and business website The Information of Byron: “You couldn’t challenge him.”
Last night the woman who sent ColdplayGate around the world by filming and uploading it to TikTok said she feels bad about the fallout.
Coldplay fan Grace Springer, 28, from New Jersey, told The Sun: “I had no idea who the couple were. I just thought I caught an interesting reaction to the kiss cam and decided to post it.
“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.
“I hope, for them, my video was a blessing in disguise.”
And last night the hunt was on among to identify the embarrassed-looking woman who was seen standing next to Byron and Cabot when they were caught out.
The brunette could be seen smiling sheepishly and holding her head in one hand after Byron and Cabot had ducked down.
Coldplay’s “jumbotron” camera — a twist on the kiss cam used at baseball games — has been a feature towards the end of their gigs.
Fans are shown on the big screen while Trouble hitmaker Chris improvises a few lines about them.
Singer Celine Dion featured last month at a gig in Las Vegas, with Martin singing: “Well Celine, our beautiful sister, you make my heart go on and on, near, far, you’re a total superstar, let’s hear it for the legendary Celine Dion.”
But in the case of Byron and Cabot, the words of one of his famous hits may have been more appropriate: “I never meant to cause you trouble.”
