The human resources executive whose intimate moment with her married boss was broadcast to thousands at a Coldplay concert has finally spoken out. Kristin Cabot, 53, broke her silence months after the viral kiss cam incident turned her into an internet meme and left her professional life in ruins.
A Night Out That Changed Everything
Kristin Cabot, a mother of two from New Hampshire, described the fateful night at the Coldplay concert. She admitted to making a "bad decision" after consuming "a couple of High Noons" (a brand of alcoholic drink). She was with her then-boss, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, whom she called her "big happy crush." The pair were seated at the back of a stadium packed with 50,000 to 60,000 people, feeling anonymous in the dark.
"I wanted to put a cute outfit on and go out and dance and laugh and have a great night," Cabot told the New York Times. She said they were dancing when she grabbed him. Unaware that the jumbotron camera was approaching, she was suddenly confronted with the image of their embrace on the giant screen for the entire arena to see.
Immediate Panic and Long-Term Fallout
Her first thought was of her then-husband, Andrew, with whom she was in an amicable separation. "My immediate reaction was, 'Holy s--t, Andrew's here'. I was worried I would embarrass him," she said. The next realisation was even more terrifying: "Oh God, Andy's my effing boss'. This is a bad look. Boston's not a big town." She feared investors or other staff from Astronomer might be present.
The aftermath was swift and severe. The video and images spread online, making Cabot a viral sensation for all the wrong reasons. "I became a meme," she told The Times of London. "I was the most maligned HR manager in HR history." She claims the public shaming erased her lifetime of career achievements and has rendered her "unemployable." Roughly a month after the scandal went viral, she officially filed for divorce from her husband.
Cabot's Defence and Critique of the Backlash
While taking accountability for her actions, Cabot insists the backlash was disproportionate. "I could have been struck by lightning, I could have won the lottery, or this could have happened," she remarked, emphasising her ordinary life as a mom from New Hampshire. She argued that even if an affair had occurred, it was nobody's business.
She also feels she bore the brunt of the abuse compared to her former boss. "I think as a woman, as women always do, I took the bulk of the abuse," she said. People accused her of being a 'gold-digger' or having 'slept my way to the top'—allegations she vehemently denies, pointing to years of hard work and fending off inappropriate advances.
Cabot acknowledges the price she has paid. "It's not nothing. And I took accountability and I gave up my career for that. That's the price I chose to pay," she stated. However, she refuses to let this define her, asserting, "This can't be the final word." She has not spoken to Andy Byron in months, after initial contact to exchange crisis-management advice.
