What started as a lighthearted moment at a Coldplay concert has turned into a life-altering ordeal for Kristin Cabot, the woman at the center of a viral kiss cam scandal that cost her career and upended her personal life.<\/p>\n
Cabot, a married mother of two and the former head of human resources at tech company Astronomer, is now speaking out about the incident that unfolded during Coldplay\u2019s Music of the Spheres tour stop at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts this past July. In a new interview with the New York Times<\/em>, Cabot admitted that a \u201ccouple of High Noons\u201d fueled the decision that put her on the stadium\u2019s big screen alongside her boss, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron.<\/p> \u201cI made a bad decision and had a couple of High Noons and danced and acted inappropriately with my boss,\u201d Cabot said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not nothing. And I took accountability and I gave up my career for that. That\u2019s the price I chose to pay. I want my kids to know that you can make mistakes, and you can really screw up. But you don\u2019t have to be threatened to be killed for them.\u201d<\/p>\n The moment became infamous when Cabot and Byron appeared on the kiss cam during Coldplay\u2019s \u201cJumbotron Song,\u201d when frontman Chris Martin serenades couples in the audience. Cabot immediately covered her face and turned away, while Byron ducked out of view. Martin quipped from the stage, \u201cEither they\u2019re having an affair or they\u2019re just very shy.\u201d<\/p>\n Within days, Astronomer addressed the situation publicly. \u201cAstronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,\u201d the company said in a social media statement. \u201cOur leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability.\u201d The company added, \u201cThe Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter, and we will have additional details to share very shortly.\u201d<\/p> Byron was placed on leave and later resigned. \u201cAndy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted,\u201d Astronomer wrote. \u201cThe Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the viral speculation, a source previously told People<\/em> that there was \u201cno affair.\u201d \u201c[Cabot] and [Byron] had an excellent working relationship, a great friendship,\u201d the source said. \u201cThere was no affair.\u201d The source added, \u201cIt was inappropriate to be hugging your boss at a concert, and she accepts full responsibility for it. But the scandal, the downfall, the loss of the job \u2014 all of that is unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n Cabot revealed that she and her husband were already separated at the time of the concert and later filed for divorce on Aug. 13, agreeing to keep proceedings private. She also shared how her bond with Byron deepened after they discussed their struggles earlier in the year. \u201cI\u2019m going through the same thing,\u201d she recalled him saying, an admission that \u201csort of strengthened our connection.\u201d<\/p>\n On the night of the concert, Cabot said an inner warning tried to stop her. \u201cSome inside part of my brain might have been jumping up and down and waving its arms, saying, \u2018Don\u2019t do this,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cI was like: \u2018I got this. I can have a crush. I can handle it.\u2019\u201d<\/p> After tequila cocktails, the two shared their first kiss. \u201cIt was like someone flipped a switch,\u201d Cabot said. \u201cI\u2019ll never be able to explain it in any articulate or intelligent way.\u201d<\/p>\n The aftermath was brutal. \u201cI was so embarrassed and so horrified,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m the head of H.R. and he\u2019s the C.E.O. It\u2019s, like, so clich\u00e9 and so bad.\u201d She recalled thinking, \u201cWe have to tell the board,\u201d as panic set in. \u201cPanic attacks were starting,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n When the clip went viral, Cabot retreated to the mountains, but the harassment followed. \u201cMy kids were afraid that I was going to die and they were going to die,\u201d she said, noting she was doxxed and received hundreds of calls a day, along with death threats. \u201cNot 900. That showed up in People<\/em> magazine. I got 50 or 60.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, Cabot says she and her children are finding small steps toward healing, doing their best to move forward after a moment that changed everything.<\/p>\n