“I Took Accountability — But I Didn’t Deserve Death Threats”: Woman at Center of Viral Coldplay Kiss Cam Breaks Silence

The woman at the center of a viral Coldplay “kiss cam” moment is speaking publicly for the first time about the fallout that upended her life.

Kristin Cabot, 53, told The New York Times that the July 16, 2025 concert video — filmed in Boston and shared on TikTok — became “the defining disaster” of her life. The clip, which showed Cabot embracing her boss, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, on a VIP balcony before both realized they were on the Jumbotron, spread rapidly online and was viewed millions of times.

“I made a bad decision and had a couple of 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.”

In the immediate aftermath, both Cabot, who served as Astronomer’s head of human resources, and Byron resigned from the tech company. Cabot said she initially stayed silent to protect her two children, her employer and her family, including her estranged husband, from whom she was separated at the time and negotiating a divorce.

Andy Byron holding Kristin Cabot at a July Coldplay concert in Massachusetts.

But the silence, she said, did not shield her from the backlash. Cabot described being flooded with misogynistic abuse and between 50 and 60 death threats, adding that the harassment deeply affected her children.

“My kids were afraid that I was going to die and they were going to die,” she said. “I want my kids to know that you can make mistakes, and you can really screw up. But you don’t have to be threatened to be killed for them.”

The moment was amplified when Coldplay frontman Chris Martin jokingly remarked from the stage, “Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy,” turning the clip into a pop-culture punchline. Cabot said she became a target not only for strangers online, but also for public mockery, including from celebrities and media figures.

Andy Byron holding Kristin Cabot at a July Coldplay concert in Massachusetts.

She also noted that some of the harshest criticism came from other women. “What I’ve seen these last months makes it harder for me to believe that it’s all about the men holding us back,” Cabot said. “I think [women] are holding ourselves back tremendously by cutting each other down.”

Cabot said she and Byron briefly stayed in touch after the incident but cut off communication by September, believing it was necessary for everyone to “move on and heal.” Byron declined to be interviewed by The Times.

Nearly six months later, Cabot said she is still rebuilding her life and searching for a new job. She told the paper she is trying to reclaim some control over the narrative — even buying a Victoria Beckham T-shirt that reads, “Yes It’s Me.”