The estranged husband of Kristin Cabot — the tech executive who drew widespread attention after appearing on a Coldplay kiss cam this summer — said his marriage was already ending before the viral incident.
A spokesperson for Andrew Cabot, chief executive of Privateer Rum, told People on Monday that he and Kristin Cabot had been “privately and amicably separated” for several weeks prior to the July 16 concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and that “their decision to divorce was already underway prior to that evening.” The spokesperson added that with the divorce filing now public, Andrew Cabot “hopes this provides respectful closure to speculation and allows his family the privacy they’ve always valued,” and that “no further public comment will be made.”
The controversy erupted after video circulated showing Kristin Cabot, then chief people officer at data operations company Astronomer, and Astronomer CEO Andy Byron on the stadium’s kiss cam. The footage, widely shared online, prompted Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to quip onstage that the pair were “either having an affair or they’re just very shy.” Both Byron and Cabot resigned from their roles at Astronomer in the weeks following the July 16 show.
Astronomer issued a statement on July 25 acknowledging Byron’s departure, saying the company remained “committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding” and that its leaders are “expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.” Neither Byron nor Kristin Cabot has publicly addressed the nature of their relationship since the incident.
People and HuffPost reported that Kristin Cabot filed a petition for divorce from Andrew Cabot on Aug. 13 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire; NBC News has reported the divorce process remains ongoing. The spokesperson’s statement to People was the first public comment from Andrew Cabot since the Coldplay footage circulated.
Coldplay returned to the stage days after the incident in Madison, Wisconsin, where Martin again referenced the venue’s audience-screen moments and joked with concertgoers to prepare for possible appearance on the big screen.
The episode drew significant media attention and social-media commentary, prompting scrutiny of company leadership and workplace expectations at a time when Astronomer said it was reviewing conduct among its executives. The parties involved have taken largely private steps since the clip went viral, with formal personnel changes and legal filings moving forward while public statements have been limited.