The woman involved in the infamous Coldplay kiss cam scandal has slammed Gwyneth Paltrow for her Astronomer ad following the incident.
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As previously reported, former Astronomer Andy Byron was caught on the kiss cam standing closely behind a woman, later identified as Astronomer’s Chief of People Kristin Cabot, during the Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium.
After mere seconds of the footage being on them, the duo were noticeably mortified as they dove out of focus. Coldplay’s frontman and Paltrow’s ex-husband, Chris Martin, noticed their reaction. He declared on stage, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy.”
Byron has stepped down from his position following the incident, and Cabot also left the company shortly after.
Cabot is now speaking out about the kiss cam incident and Gwyneth Paltrow’s appearance in her former employer’s ad.
“I was such a fan of her company [Goop], which seemed to be about uplifting women,” Cabot explained while speaking to The Times. “And then she did this.”
Paltrow’s actions mortified Cabot. “I thought, ‘How dare she after the beating she got for all the conscious uncoupling stuff,'” she said. “What a hypocrite.”
Cabot said Paltrow’s appearance in the commercial reopened wounds. She even threw away all of the Goop products she owned.
Cabot Said the Kiss Cam Incident Was the First Time She and the Former Astronomer CEO Had Been Physically Affectionate
While continuing to discuss the scandal, Cabot said the kiss cam moment was the first time she and Byron ever got physically affectionate. She started working at Astronomer just a few months before the incident.
“I could have been struck by lightning, I could have won the lottery, or this could have happened,” she explained.
Cabot further spoke about the attention she received both in person and online. “But I’m not some celebrity, I’m just a mom from New Hampshire,” she pointed out. “Even if I did have an affair, it’s not anybody’s business.”
She then said the scandal has been like a “scarlet letter” for her.
“People erased everything I’d accomplished in my life and achieved in my career,” Cabot revealed. “This can’t be the final word.”
Speaking about the connection she had with her former boss, Cabot noted that she and Byron split from their spouses a month before the concert. She has since filed for divorce from her husband, Andrew.
“I don’t think my separation would have come as a surprise to him, but his definitely did for me,” she said. “To have someone else going through it at the exact same time that you can talk to was an amazing support.”
Although they initially kept in touch after their Astronomer resignations, Cabot said she hasn’t spoken to Byron in a while.