A dating site designed for infidelity has reported a boom in CEO sign-ups since the Coldplay cheating scandal.
IllicitEncounters.com, the UK’s largest extramarital dating site, has seen a 31 per cent spike in sign-ups from “high-profile professionals” since the Coldplay video went viral last week.
The clip showed a roving ‘kiss cam’ landing on two audience members locked in a tender embrace, only for them to suddenly break apart and hide their faces. Coldplay singer Chris Martin then joked: “Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy”
The two individuals were quickly revealed to be Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot. Byron has handed in his resignation from the billion-dollar unicorn company following the spectacular fallout. It was the affair seen around the world: the original TikTok of the incident has 120 million views alone.
According to IllicitEncounters.com, Byron and Cabot being caught red-handed and broadcast to the world has caused mass “panic” amongst CEOs.
“Our data shows a clear panic response from the executive world,” Jessica Leoni, sex and relationships expert at IllicitEncounters.com, says. “From Thursday to Sunday, we saw a huge 31 per cent rise in sign-ups of CEOs compared to the same period last year, and this peaked on Saturday when Byron’s resignation was announced.”
One new user, a 45-year-old married CEO from Manchester (who asked to remain anonymous), has explained his motivation behind signing up. “I watched that Coldplay clip with my stomach in knots,” he said. “You could see it on their faces — they knew they were caught. I signed up to IllicitEncounters within minutes. I travel a lot with my PA and let’s just say things have got… blurred.
@instaagraace trouble in paradise?? 👀 #coldplay #boston #coldplayconcert #kisscam #fyp
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“There’s no way I’m ending up on TikTok and being forced to resign — so I figured if I want to have an affair, it has to be with someone outside of work and on a platform which guarantees discretion, so here I am.”
Leoni describes the kiss cam incident as a “masterclass” in “how not to conduct a discreet relationship in public.”
“It’s gone viral because it’s awkward, juicy, and deeply relatable. But behind the humour is a stark warning – especially for high-powered professionals,” she says.
“If you’re going to mix business with pleasure, at least do it discreetly. This incident has brutally underscored the absolute necessity of privacy for high-profile individuals, driving them straight to platforms like ours — where discretion is not just encouraged, but built-in.”
IllicitEncounters.com says it's seen similar sign-up spikes following other high-profile exposure moments, but few have triggered such a sharp, demographic-specific response as the Coldplay incident.
As Leoni puts it, “Discretion isn’t optional when your name’s on the office door. And now, more execs are realising that than ever before.”
