It was the 'affair' that broke the internet. Nobody saw Astronomer's next move coming.

It was meant to be a cute Kiss Cam moment — but what unfolded has the internet in a frenzy.

At a Coldplay concert, a couple looked thrilled to be cuddled up in the crowd... until their faces appeared on the big screen. In a split second, they recoiled, seemingly trying to hide.

Soon, the internet identified them as co-workers from a company called Astronomer — and accused them of having an affair.

What followed was swift and dramatic: CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot both resigned.

Now, Astronomer has responded to the fallout in an unexpected way, enlisting the help of Chris Martin's ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow as their "temporary spokesperson".

In a video posted to the official Astronomer X account, Paltrow sat behind a desk wearing a collared blue shirt.

Watch: Gwenyth Paltrow's ad for Astronomer. Post continues after video.

"Thank you for your interest in Astronomer. Hi, I'm Gwyneth Paltrow," she said in the video. "I've been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300+ employees at Astronomer.

"Astronomer has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days, and they wanted me to answer the most common ones."

The first question then appeared letter by letter across the screen. It read: "OMG What the actual f….". But before the sentence could finish, the scene flicked back to Paltrow, who answered a different question entirely.

"Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow, she said. "Unifying the experience of running data, ML and AI pipelines at scale. We've been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation."

Another question then popped up, letter by letter: "How is your social media team holding…"

Paltrow replied, again to a different question: "Yes, there is still room available at our Beyond Analytics event in September! We will now be returning to what we do best, delivering game-changing results for our customers. Thank you for your interest in Astronomer."

LISTEN: The Coldplay Affair. And What The Internet Did Next. Post continues below.

The online response to the advertisement was mixed, with some calling it a "PR masterclass" and others suggesting it was insensitive given the circumstances.

Mamamia has reached out to Astronomer, a US-based data management company, for comment.

There have, indeed, been many discussions online about whether the internet's reaction has been "disproportionate to the crime".

In the past, it used to be that only celebrities would be caught under the paparazzi microscope in compromising positions. But in this case, the former Astronomer employees went internationally viral overnight.

You couldn't enter a room without someone bringing up the "Coldplay affair".

But while many laughed and shared memes, a bigger question arose: how fair is it for a private moment to unravel two lives, in the public eye?

Here's what we know about the fallout from that viral Kiss Cam clip.

What happened that night?

During Coldplay's July 16 concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, the band's Kiss Cam was panning the crowd, showing off happy couples swaying along to the music on the big screen.

Sweet, right? Well… only if you're with the right person.

When the camera landed on one couple, the pair appeared cosy, smiling and swaying with the man's arm around the woman's shoulders.

"Oh, look at these two," Chris Martin said from the stage.

The second they noticed the camera, the mood shifted. The woman turned away and covered her face, while the male quickly ducked out of view.

"All right, come on, you're OK," Martin continued. "Oh, what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy. I'm not quite sure."

The pair, identified online by multiple publications, were believed to be Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his colleague Kristin Cabot.

Watch the awkward video from the Coldplay concert. Post continues below.

Cue: the internet exploding.

Why? Because, according to multiple US outlets, Cabot is not Byron's wife.

Talk about awkward…

Neither Byron or Cabot have commented publicly on the incident, though a fake apology quoting Coldplay lyrics soon made the rounds.

The response.

After confirming the apology was fabricated, Astronomer released a full statement, explaining they were investigating the matter.

"Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability," the statement read.

"The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.

"Alyssa Stoddard was not at the event and no other employees were in the video. Andy Byron has not put out any statement, reports saying otherwise are all incorrect."

Astronomer also told Mamamia that Byron had been placed on leave.

"Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is currently serving as interim CEO given Andy Byron has been placed on leave," a spokesperson for the company said.

"We will share more details as appropriate in the coming days."

Andy Byron resigns.

In a significant development, Andy Byron officially resigned from his position as CEO of Astronomer on July 20.

The company announced Byron's departure in a brief statement on X.

"The Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO," the statement said.

As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.

Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and… pic.twitter.com/aTTUhnnyVz

— Astronomer (@astronomerio) July 19, 2025

Kristin Cabot resigns.

On July 25, just five days after Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigned, People confirmed that the company's Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot has also resigned.

There has been no further statement from Cabot or Byron about the incident.

However, on July 21, new interim CEO Pete DeJoy said that the events of the past few days has created a "spotlight" on the company, that although "unusual and surreal" has created Astronomer as a "household name". He added that he would "never have wished for it to happen like this."

So, who exactly are the alleged players at the centre of this?

Well, US Weekly reports, according to Byron's since-deleted LinkedIn page, he's a longtime tech executive who joined data firm Astronomer as CEO in 2023.

A comment on his profile reportedly described him as "a highly inspirational, motivational and experienced sales professional".

Cabot, who was Astronomer's Chief People Officer, joined the company last November.

At the time, Byron praised her "exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management, employee engagement, and scaling people strategies" as being "critical" to the team.

"She is a proven leader at multiple growth-stage companies and her passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces makes her a perfect fit for Astronomer," he continued.

Andy Byron. Image: Astronomer.

Cabot said she was "energised" by Byron about the opportunities presented at Astronomer.

"I prefer to think of my role as people strategy versus traditional human resources, as the real magic happens when you align the people strategy with the business strategy," she said.

"There are plenty of companies out there where a leadership team doesn't recognise the value that a strong people leader and people team can bring to a company. It's not just about benefits or catered lunches. There's so much more to it."

Cabot described herself as a "fearless change-agent" on LinkedIn and has a background in people and culture roles.

"I lead by example and win trust with employees of all levels, from CEOs to managers to assistants," her page said.

According to the New York Post, Cabot finalised her divorce in 2022.

Kristin Cabot. Image: Astronomer.

Since the video went viral, Byron's LinkedIn profile has been deleted.

His wife reportedly removed his surname from her Facebook page before deleting her account altogether after being inundated with comments following the video.

Feature image: X/astronomerio/TikTok/instaagraace.

This article was originally published on July 18th and has since been updated.