A source close to Kristin Cabot, the former Chief People Officer at Astronomer who was seen with her then-boss Andy Byron at a Coldplay concert, has denied that she was having an affair with the former CEO.
Their lives were upended after Andy was caught on the concert’s kiss cam with his arms wrapped around Kristin. Once they realized they were on the Jumbotron, the two suddenly turned around and ducked out of view.
The unusual reaction caught the attention of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who quipped on stage, “Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
A source close to Kristin Cabot denied claims that she had an affair with former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron
According to the source close to Kirstin, appearances can be misleading, and Chris Martin’s first guess is far from the truth.
“Kristin and Andy [Byron] had an excellent working relationship, a great friendship. There was no affair,” the insider asserted to People.
The former HR chief reportedly acknowledges that it was “inappropriate” to be hugging her boss at a concert and “accepts full responsibility for it.”
“But the scandal, the downfall, the loss of the job — all of that is unfair,” the insider said.
Kristin and Andy had reportedly attended the concert with a group of friends.
Kristin and Andy were shown hugging and later hiding on Coldplay’s kiss cam, sparking speculation about their personal lives
At the time, Kristin and her husband, Privateer Rum CEO Andrew Cabot, had already separated. The same night, Andrew was also in the crowd on a date with a different woman.
Kristin later formalized the separation and filed for divorce on August 13, requesting that the information about the proceedings remain private, a request her husband agreed to, as per People.
“They are amicably separated and moving forward towards divorce, focused on their families,” shared the source. “Kristin and Andrew [Cabot] had been living apart.”
This aligns with a statement from Andrew’s ex Julia, who claimed their relationship was already on the rocks before the kiss cam video.
“I texted Andrew right after [the kiss cam scandal] happened, and he said: ‘Her life is nothing to do with me,’ and said they were separating,” she told The Daily Mail.
Kristin and her boss Andy’s relationship was strictly professional, according to the insider
A spokeswoman for Andrew also confirmed that he and Kristin “were privately and amicably separated several weeks before the Coldplay concert.”
Kristin has two children from her first marriage, while Andrew also has two children from a prior marriage.
The source described the concert as “a night with a big group of friends and an inappropriate moment,” clarifying that it was not a company event.
After the scandal erupted, Kristin was “inappropriately mislabeled” as a “homewrecker,” a term the insider insists does not reflect the nature of her relationship with her former boss.
The HR chief reportedly admitted that hugging her boss at the concert was “inappropriate”
Speculation about an affair intensified after reports surfaced that Andy’s wife, Megan, had removed his surname from her social media profiles and reverted to her maiden name, Kerrigan.
Additionally, according to The Daily Mail, Megan fled her and Andy’s home in Northborough, Massachusetts, for a residence in Kennebunk following the kiss cam video. Their current relationship status is unknown
The scandal has sparked hundreds of memes and even led to Kristin and Andy being tracked down by paparazzi.
For Kristin, losing her anonymity overnight and being accused of infidelity before millions has taken a toll on her mental health and her children’s wellbeing.
“It’s unfathomable to witness what has happened, and how devastating it can be, for not just individuals, but entire families,” the source told People.
Kristin and Andy attended the concert with a group of friends
“All I can think of is that this could happen to any of us at any time. I think all of the misinformation has been the most mind-blowing to witness.
“These are real people and real families. The way people have taken a lot of enjoyment at their expense, it’s hard to see.”
The scandal also reignited discussions on the use of technology to violate individual privacy in the age of social media.
“In the first three days after the news broke, she had about 900 d*ath threats on her phone,” the insider said of Kristin.
“It’s been hard for her to leave the house. She’s been prioritizing her family. Her kids have been through a lot.”
At the time of the concert, Kristin and her husband Andrew Cabot were already separated
While some people, and even brands, share and create “ColdplayGate” memes on social media, the consequences Kristin has faced have extended far beyond the online world.
The former Astronomer worker has had people waiting outside her car while she was picking her son up from work and “grown women laughing, taking pictures, pointing.”
“It’s been a tough thing to watch. Just overall, the mockery made of someone, the way people really seem to enjoy it and feel as though if somebody makes a mistake — public shaming is absolutely on the table as a punishment.”
Kristin stepped down from her role in Astronomer in July, days after Andy resigned as CEO.
After Andy’s resignation, the tech company said that their “leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.”
The source defined her as “one of the hardest working women” they’ve ever met and a “self-made person” who has been working since she was 15 years old.
@instaagraace trouble in paradise?? 👀 #coldplay #boston #coldplayconcert #kisscam #fyp ♬ original sound – grace
Netizens reacted to the insider’s claim that Kristin and Andy’s had “a great friendship”
