Coldplay’s frontman, Chris Martin, has addressed the now-infamous “kiss cam” incident involving Astronomer CEO Andy Byron during the band’s concert in Madison, Wisconsin, on Saturday. The incident, which went viral after the Boston concert earlier in the week, has sparked considerable attention after Byron was seen getting intimate with a woman who wasn’t his wife.
During the Madison show, Martin took a lighthearted approach to acknowledge the viral moment, offering a playful disclaimer to the audience before the cameras began scanning the crowd. “We’d like to say hello to some of you in the crowd and put some of you on the big screen. How we’re going to do that is we’re going to use our cameras and put some of you on the big screen,” Martin told the crowd at Camp Randall Stadium. He added with a wink, “Please, if you haven’t done your makeup, do your makeup now!”
This was a clear reference to the kiss cam, which had previously captured Byron and HR chief Kristin Cabot in an intimate moment at the Boston concert. Martin, ever the comedian, seized the moment, commenting on the situation as the camera panned to the couple.
“Oh, look at these two,” Martin said, as Byron was seen with his arms around Cabot’s waist. “Come on, you’re OK. Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” As the camera lingered on the pair, Byron quickly lunged out of the shot, while Cabot covered her face with her hands and turned away. Martin quickly quipped, “Oh shit, I hope we didn’t do something bad,” adding an extra layer of humor to the already awkward moment.
The viral video soon made its rounds online, and just days later, Byron submitted his resignation from Astronomer, the tech company where he had been CEO since 2023. Cabot, who had joined the company as Chief People Officer only nine months earlier, was also involved in the incident.
The kiss cam moment, though seemingly innocent in the moment, turned into a viral sensation, adding to the public intrigue surrounding the personal lives of business leaders and celebrities alike. Byron’s resignation following the incident has drawn attention to the power of viral moments in the digital age, where personal actions can quickly become public spectacles.