It started as a fleeting, alcohol-fueled moment under stadium lights and ended as a viral spectacle that upended careers, friendships, and a family’s sense of safety. Kristin Cabot, 53, is speaking publicly for the first time about the Coldplay “Peck cam” incident that captured her in an embrace with her boss, then-CEO Andy Byron, and the devastating ripple effects that followed.
Cabot recalls the night at Gillette Stadium in July as a blur of music, dancing, and the unexpected presence of her estranged husband. She had been navigating a separation, and Byron, too, had recently split from his spouse. “I made a bad decision and had a couple of High Noons and danced and acted inappropriately with my boss,” she said. “And it’s not nothing. And I took accountability and I gave up my career for that. That’s the price I thing to pay.” The moment, magnified on the jumbotron and amplified by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin’s teasing, quickly became a viral TikTok clip viewed millions of times.
The fallout was swift. Within days, both Cabot and Byron resigned from Astronomer, a data operations company where she was head of HR. The company’s board noted that “leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability” and launched a formal investigation, ultimately finding no evidence of an affair. Still, the optics of a CEO and HR chief in a public embrace raised concerns about workplace power dynamics, conflicts of interest, and morality issues that experts say can erode trust even when policies aren’t technically violated.
For Cabot, the professional consequences were only part of the ordeal. The viral moment unleashed a torrent of abuse, including death threats. One was played aloud for her mother, overheard by her children. “They were already in really bad shape, and that’s when the wheels fell off the cart,” she said. “Because my kids were afraid that I was going to die and they were going to die.” Her 14-year-old daughter cried when told about the video, while her teenage son tried to reassure her it might “go away.” It didn’t.
Child development specialists warn that when a scandal involves someone a child loves, it can destabilize their sense of identity and safety. The guidance is to anchor children emotionally first reminding them they are safe and loved before offering age-appropriate facts. Helping them hold two truths, such as “We can be upset about what Mom did, and still care about her,” protects their self-esteem and prevents them from internalizing blame.
Cabot admits she struggled to support her children correctly amid the storm. Strangers confronted her in public, sometimes while she was with them. Former friends and colleagues shunned her. The humiliation, she says, was “worse than people yelling at me at the gas station.” Research on public shaming shows it can obliterate a person’s social identity, especially when rejection comes from those with perceived authority. For women, the abuse often carries a gendered edge, with accusations rooted in the sexual double standard labels like “gold-digger” or claims she “slept her way to the top,” undermining years of professional achievement.
The psychological toll of such viral infamy is well-documented. Experts advise those caught in similar situations to immediately lock down personal information, alert employers before they hear from online mobs, and document all threats. Removing children’s images from social media, preparing them for possible peer confrontations, and ensuring they have safe spaces to talk can buffer some of the harm. Mental health support is critical; the stress and anxiety can linger long after public attention fades.
Cabot’s experience underscores how quickly a private lapse can become a public crisis in the age of smartphones and social media. “I want my kids to know that you can make mistakes, and you can really screw up,” she said. “But you don’t have to be threatened to be killed for them.” For her family, the harassment hasn’t ended. Mothers gossip in the playground, strangers shout on the street, and her children remain away from being seen with her. The incident may have lasted seconds, but its impact is measured in years and in the resilience it takes to keep showing up for those who matter most.
