Gwyneth Paltrow appeared as a “temporary spokesperson” in an ad shared to the social media accounts of Astronomer in July.

Gwyneth Paltrow called out by Kristin Cabot for snarky ad mocking her Coldplay kiss cam scandal: ‘How dare she’

Gwyneth Paltrow appeared as a "temporary spokesperson" in an ad shared to the social media accounts of Astronomer in July.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.

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December 18, 2025 5:49 p.m. ET

Kristin Cabot; Gwyneth Paltrow. Credit:

Annie Hawkins; ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty

Kristin Cabot, the former head of HR for Astronomer, is airing her grievances after becoming the fodder for social commentary in the aftermath of getting caught embracing her boss in the summer's most viral Coldplay kiss cam moment.

In her first interview since the moment made headlines, Cabot recounted how she felt famous figures, including celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and the cohosts of *The View*, made her humiliation their material.

Cabot told the U.K. newspaper *The Times* that once internet sleuths identified Byron and Cabot, and the original TikTok video received 100 million views within days, the incident took a life of its own.

Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot at Coldplay concert.

"My immediate reaction was, 'Holy s---, Andrew's here'," Cabot told the outlet, referring to her estranged husband Andrew Cabot, the CEO of a rum distillery. "We were in the middle of an incredibly — and amazingly — amicable separation. I was worried I would embarrass him. He's an amazing guy and does not deserve that. "

She continued, "Then a beat later my mind turns to, 'Oh God, Andy's my effing boss,' this is a bad look. Boston's not a big town. And while it wasn't an Astronomer event or anything, there could have been investors or other staff there."

Cabot and the (now former) Astronomer CEO Andy Byron were with friends watching Coldplay perform in Foxborough, Mass., on July 16 when the Jumbotron cut to Byron and Cabot cuddling in the crowd. The pair immediately scrambled apart upon spotting themselves on the big screen, prompting lead singer Chris Martin to remark, "Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy."

Kristin Cabot breaks her silence after Coldplay kiss cam debacle: 'My kids were afraid that I was going to die'

'The View' dresses 2 kids in Halloween costumes as the Coldplay kiss cam couple

The Astronomer former Chief People Officer felt that the company poured fuel on the "raging fire" when they shared an ad featuring Gwyneth Paltrow as a "temporary spokesperson" shortly after the incident occurred. Paltrow was likely chosen, of course, because she was married to Coldplay's Martin from 2003 to 2016, and the two share two children together, Apple and Moses.

Cabot told *The Times* that she was appalled and threw away everything she owned from Paltrow's brand Goop. "I was such a fan of her company, which seemed to be about uplifting women," she said. "And then she did this. I thought, 'How dare she after the beating she got for all the conscious uncoupling stuff.' What a hypocrite."

Coldplay performing in May 2025.

Steve Jennings/Getty

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In the ad video, which features the caption, "Thank you for your interest in Astronomer," Paltrow is shown sitting at a table, hands clasped, donning a light blue button-down shirt. "Hi, I'm Gwyneth Paltrow," she says. "I've been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus 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."

Paltrow fields questions alluding to the attention Astronomer has received from the press attention in the wake of the incident, avoiding speaking about the incident while promoting the business.

She concludes, "We will now be returning to what we do best: Delivering game-changing results for our customers. Thank you for your interest in Astronomer."**

Byron resigned from his position at Astronomer following the controversy. Cabot said that after Astronomer concluded its investigation, the company asked her to return to her role, but instead she negotiated her resignation, which was announced on July 24.**

"I think as a woman, as women always do, I took the bulk of the abuse," Cabot recalled of the public response to the viral moment. "People would say things like I was a 'gold-digger' or I 'slept my way to the top,' which just couldn't be further from reality. The amount I sacrificed to get where I did in my career, the amount of hands I've had to take off my ass over the years, comments I've had to swat away from men."

The mother of two, who shared that she has since filed for divorce from her second husband, added, "I'm sure a lot of people will say, 'This is such a dead story, why bring it back up?' But it's not over for me, and it's not over for my kids. The harassment never ended."**

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