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THE viral cuddle at a Coldplay concert has spiralled into a mess, with fake statements from both the band and the tech boss spreading like wildfire.
At the centre of the chaos is Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, who was caught on the stadium kiss cam at Coldplay’s Boston gig canoodling HR chief Kristin Cabot – not his wife.
But while the viral video itself is real, many of the dramatic reactions posted online since are anything but.
A statement claiming to be from Andy Byron quickly made the rounds online after the Coldplay incident, appearing to confirm an affair and express regret.
In the lengthy message, the supposed Byron called it a “deeply personal mistake” that unfolded “on a very public stage,” and apologised to his wife, family, and colleagues at Astronomer.
He went on to say they “deserve better” from him “as a partner, as a father, and as a leader”, claiming he was taking time to reflect and be accountable.
The fake statement also criticised the public exposure of what he called a private moment, urging people to consider the human cost of turning someone’s life into a spectacle.
It ended with a nod to Coldplay’s own lyrics from their hit song Fix You: “Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you.”
But despite its emotional tone, the statement was entirely fake.
Astronomer told TMZ it was “not a real statement.”
Fake Coldplay statement
The chaos didn’t stop there.
A fake post pretending to be from Coldplay’s official X account racked up millions of views after jokingly announcing that future shows would include “camera-free audience sections for people and their sidepieces.”
The bogus message read: “Starting with our next show, we’re introducing camera-free audience sections for people and their sidepieces.”
Fact-checking AI tool Grok, when tagged in the post, swiftly debunked the claim, saying: “No, this screenshot is fabricated.
“Coldplay has not announced camera-free sections for ‘sidepieces’ — no such post exists on their official X account or in recent news. Likely a joke.”
Men’s Journal also confirmed that the band has made no such announcement and found no trace of the message on Coldplay’s verified accounts.
In full: Andy Byron’s fake statement
“I want to acknowledge the moment that’s been circulating online, and the disappointment it’s caused.
“What was supposed to be a night of music and joy turned into a deeply personal mistake play-out out on a very public stage.
“I want to sincerely apologize to my wife, my family, and my team at Astronomer. You deserve better from me as a partner, as a father, and as a leader.
“This is not who I want to be or how I want to represent the company I helped build.
“I’m taking time to reflect, take accountability, and figure out the next steps, personally and professionally. I ask for privacy as I navigate that process.
“I also want to express how troubling it is that what should have been a private moment became public without my consent.
“I respect artists and entertainers, but I hope we can all think more deeply about the impact of turning someone else’s life into a spectacle.
“As a friend once sang: “Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you.’ “
More fakes emerge
Multiple fake statements have been shared in the wake of the viral moment.
One widely circulated post, attributed to a user called Peter Enis, went as far as to blame Coldplay for turning a private moment into public humiliation.
The same fake statement was reposted under Byron’s name and wrongly assumed to be legitimate until Astronomer’s spokesperson Taylor Jones confirmed: “This is not a real statement.”
A separate fabricated post claimed to come from Astronomer’s official X account was also debunked by the company’s former CEO Ry Walker.
In another viral fake, a man named Alex Cohen claimed he was fired from Astronomer for booking the very Coldplay tickets that led to CEO Andy Byron’s alleged affair being exposed.
Cohen wrote in a post on X: “I was fired from Astronomer today. I ran our company’s events team.
“Turns out our CEO and Head of HR were having an affair and got caught at the Coldplay concert that I bought the company tickets to.
“They blamed me for getting caught and fired me on the spot.
“Taking some time to reflect and will start looking for jobs soon!”
The dramatic post quickly picked up traction, but it didn’t take long for users to call foul.
As it turns out, Cohen is actually the co-founder of a healthcare startup called HelloPatient.
His LinkedIn profile shows no connection to Astronomer and lists him as CEO of his own company for over a year.
Screenshots of his profile were shared widely, with users poking fun at the fake firing claim.
“Dying, I was literally drafting a troll post about this and deleted it because I needed to make sure Alex hadn’t done it already,” one user wrote.
Another added: “Why is your LinkedIn not showing you worked there, and having launched hellopatient more than 8 months ago?”
Grok, weighed in once more: “Based on the available data, this appears to be fake or heavily exaggerated.
“The timeline is implausible, the web corroboration is weak and potentially AI-generated, and the X thread’s tone aligns with viral hoaxes.”
The real story
The incident at the heart of the social media circus happened Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium.
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin unknowingly triggered the firestorm when his kiss cam landed on Byron and Cabot, who were seen embracing in the crowd.
Martin quipped: “Oh look at these two. Either they are having an affair or they’re just really shy.”
Moments later, both Byron and Cabot frantically broke apart, attempting to duck out of view.
The footage has since gone viral across X and TikTok, with the original video gathering more than 46 million views.
Grace Springer, 28, was the one who captured the moment during Coldplay’s Boston gig on Wednesday night.
Grace, from New Jersey, told The U.S. Sun: “I took the trip to Boston with some friends for the Coldplay concert. I’m a huge fan.
“There was a lot of talk about it after the show. It was definitely a hot topic, but no one knew who they were.”
Grace said she never meant to cause a scandal, but stands by sharing the footage.
“I had no idea who the couple was. Just thought I caught an interesting reaction to the kiss cam and decided to post it,” she said.
“A part of me feels bad for turning these people’s lives upside down, but, play stupid games…win stupid prizes.”
Just months before the scandal, Byron had praised Cabot when she joined Astronomer as Chief People Officer, calling her a “proven leader” and highlighting her “deep expertise in talent management.”
Cabot, whose LinkedIn lists her as Kristin Cabot (Thornby), had boasted she “wins trust with employees of all levels, from CEOs to managers to assistants.”
Neither Byron nor Cabot have publicly addressed the allegations.
The Sun has contacted Astronomer for comment.
