Months after a viral clip of Kristin Cabot and her boss, Andy Byron, went viral at a Coldplay concert, upending her life, Cabot is finally breaking her silence in her first interview since the fallout. In an interview with The New York Times, Cabot shared that the now-infamous #coldplaygate moment cost her her job and exposed her to months of public shaming, harassment, and threats.
"I made a bad decision and had a couple of [alcoholic] High Noons and danced and acted inappropriately with my boss," Cabot said. "And it's not nothing. I took accountability and I gave up my career for that. That's the price I chose to pay."
The moment occurred when Cabot and Byron were with friends at the Coldplay show at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., on July 16. They were shown together on the "kiss cam" with his arms wrapped around her, and both promptly tried to hide from view. Chris Martin joked from stage that they might be having an "affair." The video quickly racked up more than 100 million views within days, turning Cabot into what The New York Times described as "a punchline and a target" almost overnight.
Prior to the moment, Cabot had told The Times in a separate interview that she had "a big happy crush" on her boss. "I definitely thought he was a good-looking guy and I had that thought of, 'If I didn't work here...'" Cabot said. According to The Times, both Cabot and Byron were going through marital separations at the time of the incident, with Cabot saying that she and her second husband, Andrew, the CEO of a rum distillery and a member of one of Boston's most storied families, were going through "an amicable separation."
Despite Cabot's account, the status of Byron's relationship remains unclear. He has never commented publicly, and he and his wife were seen together in September with their wedding rings. "I don't think my separation would have come as a surprise to [Byron], but his definitely did for me," Cabot told The Times. "To have someone else going through it at the exact same time that you can talk to was an amazing support."
Online, Cabot was labeled "a slut," "a homewrecker," and "a gold digger." Her appearance was scrutinized. She was doxxed. For weeks, she received "500 or 600 calls a day." Paparazzi parked outside her home. Death threats poured in. While #coldplaygate cycled out of view, she explained that she lives with it "every day."
She recalled being recognized while pumping gas weeks later, when a stranger called her "disgusting" and told her, "You don't even deserve to breathe the same air that I breathe." Her children became reluctant to be seen with her in public, fearing that she would die and they would die with her. "That's when the wheels fell off the cart," she said.
Cabot insisted that she was not in a sexual relationship with Byron, Astronomer's then-CEO, and said the concert marked the first and only time they kissed. When the "kiss cam" caught them mid-embrace, she said the shift from joy to terror was instant. "I was so embarrassed and so horrified," she said. "I'm the head of H.R. and he’s the C.E.O. It’s so cliché and so bad... We both just sat there with our heads in our hands, like, 'What just happened?'"
That same night, Cabot and her boss discussed informing the company's board. By morning, the TikTok had exploded. Days later, Byron resigned. The company said after he stepped down that "our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met." After an internal investigation, Astronomer asked Cabot to return to her role, but she declined and negotiated her resignation, which was announced July 24. "I could not imagine how I could stand up as H.R. chief when I was a laughingstock," she explained.
Cabot has since filed for divorce from Andrew, who she told The New York Times has been "nothing but a gentleman." Her contact with Byron has been minimal since their final meeting in September. What Cabot hopes now is not forgiveness from the internet but understanding — especially for her children. "I want my kids to know that you can make mistakes
