The HR executive at the center of the viral Coldplay Kiss Cam scandal says the internet frenzy didn’t just cost her a job, it left her teenage children fearing for her life amid death threats and public harassment.
Kristin Cabot revealed her children became concerned they might lose her after they overheard a conversation about the online death threats.
“They were terrified for me,” she said during a sit-down interview on “The Oprah Podcast.”
HR EXEC AT CENTER OF COLDPLAY KISS CAM CONTROVERSY DEFENDS “VERY CLOSE” CEO RELATIONSHIP
Cabot opened up about the harassment she endured after video of her and her boss at the time, former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, enjoying a romantic moment at a Coldplay concert went viral in 2025. Chris Martin, the band’s frontman, and much of the internet assumed the two had been caught in an affair and the false narrative spread like wildfire.
Despite the global speculation about an illicit affair, Cabot maintained that she was already separated from her husband at the time and that he was aware of her “very close” working relationship with Byron.
She was repeatedly told that the situation would blow over, but said that instead it derailed her career and her life.
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“I came back to my house that was a place that was really like my safe space as your home typically is,” she explained. “And it became a place that was as unsafe as any place could be because a local radio station gave out my address on the air and, for whatever reason, the whole world had access to my phone number.”
Cabot said paparazzi camped outside her home for weeks while people trespassed on her property to look into her windows. “We had people doing drive-bys and yelling and honking.”
A couple of days after the controversy, Cabot began receiving “perverse, disgusting messages” around the clock. The messages weren’t limited to texts – Cabot claimed she received voicemails and emails constantly.
“Your kids are hearing you’re getting death threats,” Oprah said. “Kids think, ‘We’re going to lose our mom.'”
“That’s exactly what happened,” Cabot responded.
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The former Astronomer HR executive claimed that her relationship with then-CEO Andy Byron was a byproduct of a high-intensity professional culture where sharing desks and social drinks were standard practice. However, the former coworkers don’t have a relationship anymore.
At the time of the Coldplay concert, Cabot believed Byron to be separated from his wife as well. While Cabot’s estranged husband came forward to clarify the situation – Byron stayed silent.
“I was left holding the bag and … being the one that was attacked for this. He’s remained silent. To me, that’s not a quality that I would look for in a friend or a partner or a boss. So we have no relationship now.”
She insisted the “entire trajectory” of the situation would have changed if Byron had made a statement. “It was great that Andrew did that … the tone changed a little bit, ‘OK. So she was separated, but he wasn’t. So she’s still a homewrecker.'”
During Coldplay’s performance on July 16, Byron appeared on the Kiss Cam with his arms wrapped around a woman, who was later identified as Cabot. The two were shown during Martin’s “The Jumbotron Song,” where the singer improvises lyrics about the couples shown to the crowd.
Cabot immediately covered her face and turned away from the camera, while a stunned Byron ducked down and exited the frame. Martin then joked that, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
The moment ignited speculation of infidelity across social media as video of the exchange went viral. At the time, she was separated from her husband and Byron had claimed he was also separated. Cabot has since filed for divorce.
On July 20, Astronomer informed its social media followers that Byron had resigned from the company. Cabot later resigned from her role as chief people officer at Astronomer, a week after the video of her cuddling up with Byron went viral.
