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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nA seemingly playful kiss cam moment at a Coldplay concert last summer spiraled into a career-ending scandal for tech executives at Astronomer, and now former chief people officer Kristin Cabot is openly challenging Gwyneth Paltrow<\/a> and Ryan Reynolds<\/a> over their response. The viral clip of Cabot hugging CEO Andy Byron drew massive scrutiny, leading to both resignations and personal fallout. Cabot\u2019s recent interviews paint a picture of regret harassment from women, and frustration with the Hollywood ad that mocked her pain while boosting the company.<\/p>\n During Coldplay\u2019s July 2025 performance in Massachusetts, the jumbotron caught Cabot and Byron in an awkward embrace. They ducked away quickly, but frontman Chris Martin teased onstage about a possible affair, igniting online frenzy. Astronomer issued a statement: \u201cOur leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.\u201d Cabot, who was already separated, filed for divorce soon after. A source told People the backlash felt \u201cdevastating,\u201d to Kristen Cabot, with no actual romance confirmed publicly. Reflecting to the New York Times, Kristen Cabot said, \u201cI made a bad decision and had a couple of High Noons and danced and acted inappropriately with my boss. And it\u2019s not nothing.\u201d She revealed feelings had developed over four to six weeks, and they planned to disclose it properly. On Oprah Winfrey\u2019s show, she took full responsibility: \u201cI own the poor decision that I made in that moment. I paid an unimaginable price for that. That was why I chose to leave my job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had been going through a really tough time. I was coming out of a separation, and it felt really good to get attention and affection from an awesome man,\u201d Kristem Cabot said. during the Oprah Winfrey show. She further added, \u201cIt was becoming apparent to me that we were putting ourselves in a situation where it was gonna get risky from a work standpoint,\u201d Cabot said. \u201cI mean, I reported to him, it’s my role was to actually be aware of those things happening at work and flagging when it might cause a problem.\u201d She said, just after the kiss-cam moment went viral on social media, she was immensly worried about how her ex-husband might react seeing the video, \u201cThe last thing I wanted to do was embarrass him,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Astronomer hired Ryan Reynolds\u2019 Maximum Effort agency to turn the tide, make them look less guilty. Just 14 hours after the clip went viral, they produced a PSA featuring Paltrow, Chris Martin\u2019s ex-wife from their 2015 \u201cconscious uncoupling.\u201d The ad starts with \u201cOMG! What the actual f\u2014?\u201d before Paltrow cuts in: \u201cYes! Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow.\u201d Speaking on behalf of the controversial ad, according to People, Kristen added, , \u201cI\u2019ve been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer,\u201d then shifts focus: \u201cWe will now be returning to what we do best, which is delivering game-changing results for our customers. Thank you for your interest in Astronomer.\u201d Reynolds later shared at the Wall Street Journal\u2019s, justifying the ad as a fast, self-initiated, strategically sound move that both protected Astronomer\u2019s reputation CMO Council Summit: \u201cJust 14 hours later, I\u2019m paying for that, [and I didn\u2019t] have their blessing yet, but I [knew] that nobody at that time \u2026 knew what Astronomer does. So I was like, \u2018What if Gwyneth explained it?\u2019\u201d He called Astronomer \u201can amazing company\u201d that does \u201camazing stuff,\u201d noting the ad helped \u201ctake the conversation away from where it was, which was quite toxic, I think, and really focus on something that mattered in a way that was fun and easy and emotional and lovely.\u201dSpeaking to Oprah Winfrey, as reported by People, she highlighted painful harassment from women: Kristen said, \u201cWhat I\u2019ve seen these last months makes it harder for me to believe that it\u2019s all about the men holding us back. I think we are holding ourselves back tremendously by cutting each other down.\u201d She ended contact with Byron last fall, citing \u201ca big miss on honesty and integrity,\u201d and declared, \u201cLying is a non-negotiable.\u201d<\/div>\nThe concert clip that changed everything
<\/h2>\n<\/p>\nKristen Cabot opens up about the weeks before and after attending the concert. on the Oprah Winfrey show<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Ad campaign sparks outrage
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