Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot on leave, as Alyssa Stoddard also named from ‘kiss cam’
New details have emerged about a married CEO’s future after he and his alleged head-of-HR mistress were spotted on a Coldplay concert “kiss cam” with another employee.
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Astronomer CEO Andy Byron is negotiating an exit package as he and his alleged head-of-HR mistress have been placed on leave after they were spotted canoodling on a Coldplay concert “kiss cam”, according to a report.
The tech company announced Friday that it had launched an investigation – but sources told Axios that Byron and chief people officer Kristin Cabot were immediately placed on leave after the embarrassing viral moment exposed the alleged affair.
Astronomer confirmed Byron was on leave in an email to The Post late Friday night.
“Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is currently serving as interim CEO given Andy Byron has been placed on leave. We will share more details as appropriate in the coming days, the company said.
The nearly two-day silence resulted in parody accounts, fake statements and viral memes as the wild moment exploded on social media – while former employees piled on, describing Byron as a “toxic” boss.
Employees at Astronomer’s Manhattan office told The Post they were directed to keep quiet about the scandal.
“Nope, we’re not allowed to talk about it,” one worker said.
It comes as the embarrassed woman captured on the Coldplay “kiss cam” with a two-timing tech honcho and his mistress employee has been identified by internet sleuths as the vice president of the company’s human resources division — who was promoted just days before attending the concert with the alleged adulterers.
Alyssa Stoddard, whose brand new title is Vice President of People at Astronomer, was caught on the jumbotron footage blushing and smiling nervously as the apparent cheaters scrambled to hide their faces at the show in Foxborough Massachusetts, Wednesday night, according to the online detectives.
Stoddard was promoted to the powerful position at the tech-and-data firm by Kristin Cabot, the company’s chief of HR — who was exposed canoodling with the company’s CEO Andy Byron.
The Post has not independently identified Stoddard, who did not respond to messages requesting comment Friday.
Stoddard has followed Cabot to multiple companies and the two have been professionally linked for years.
She was first hired by Cabot five months ago as head of People Operations and Strategy, and her promotion was announced by Cabot last week in a glowing LinkedIn post.
“I’m incredibly proud to share that Alyssa Soddard has been promoted to VP of People at Astronomer,” Cabot wrote, according to a screen grab taken before she deleted her LinkedIn account.
“I’ve had the true privilege of working with Alyssa at four different companies over the years — and every time she has brought an extraordinary mix of empathy, operational excellence and unwavering integrity.”
Stoddard announced that she’d been hired five months ago in a LinkedIn post that has since been flooded with nasty comments.
“I’ve joined Kristin Cabot (Thornby) and the amazing People team at Astronomer, leading People Operations and Strategy! I’m honoured to be part of this journey and can’t wait to see what lies ahead!” she wrote in the post.
“Here’s to new beginnings and exciting opportunities.”
“Not a good look to knowingly condone affairs,” one observer slammed in the comments section after the scandal broke.
“Way to go! You were hired to keep the secrets and failed five months into the job,” another snapped.
Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability.
— Astronomer (@astronomerio) July 18, 2025
The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional… pic.twitter.com/rfrAQ5bygy
However, Astronomer, the employer of the involved parties, has denied she was at the concert, and says it has launched an investigation into the embarrassing incident, suggesting the intimate relationship was unknown to the firm’s board.
“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability,” the tech-and-data firm said in a statement.
“The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.”
Meanwhile, Australian singer Conrad Sewell, who is currently on a tour of regional Aussie cities, has penned and performed a hilarious parody song about the incident which he calls Took My Side Chick Down to Coldplay.
The Start Again crooner posted the video, complete accoustic accompaniment, to his Instagram account to the delight of his fans.
It comes as the apparent wife of the tech tycoon exposed for having an “affair” with a co-worker on a jumbotron at a Coldplay concert raked in support online with fans cheering her decision to delete her married name from her Facebook page.
As the drama became instant water cooler fodder around the world, internet sleuths quickly identified Megan Kerrigan Byron as the jilted wife of Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, who was caught cuddling with his head of HR, Kristin Cabot, at the show.
Online commenters urged Kerrigan to laugh all the way to the bank.
“Andy Byron‘s wife has now dropped her married name on Facebook and left comments open on her Facebook!” wrote X user Mrs SpaceX.
“What a class act! Go Megan. Get that divorce lawyer and get the money.”
“Get that check, girl” another user wrote.
Kerrigan deleted her Facebook page Thursday but screenshots show she removed her married name – Byron – from it earlier in the day. She also deleted her Instagram account.
“Sorry you’re going through this,” another supporter wrote on her Facebook account earlier in the day.
Cabot and her ex-husband, Kenneth Thornby, filed for divorce in 2018 and the split was finalised in 2022, according to Massachusetts court records.
It’s unclear if she has since remarried, but the former couple has at least one child, as Thornby was made to pay child support.
Byron and Cabot scrambled to hide their faces when an image of them canoodling appeared on a jumbotron at the Coldplay concert in Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Wednesday night.
“Oh, what?” lead singer Chris Martin can be heard declaring with confusion on stage, according to TikTok footage. “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
The Coldplay fan who accidentally exposed apparent affair had a blunt message for the canoodling pair: “Play stupid games … win stupid prizes.”
Grace Springer, 28, filmed the now-viral moment and uploaded it to TikTok in a clip now seen close to 50 million times.
“I had no idea who the couple was,” the Coldplay megafan told the US Sun.
Ms Springer “just thought I caught an interesting reaction to the kiss cam and decided to post it” – with no idea how mega-viral it would soon go.
“F***ing hell, it’s me,” Byron appeared to say in the video, while his HR chief appeared to mouth, “This is awkward.”
As Ms Springer’s clip exploded on social media, online sleuths quickly identified that Byron appeared to be married to Megan Kerrigan Byron, while Cabot had recently divorced her husband, Kenneth Thornby.
“I hope their partners can heal from this and get a second chance at the happiness they deserve with their future still in front of them,” Ms Springer said.
“I hope, for them, my video was a blessing in disguise.”
A second clip from the same Coldplay concert which has since emerged shows Martin wasted no time poking fun at another couple.
Chris Martin: Are you two a legitimate couple?
— Vero (@verorev13) July 17, 2025
😠pic.twitter.com/yCs7EMVhHm
The 48-year-old musician mocked his own gaffe later on in the show once the Jumbotron showed another couple at the concert.
“OK, listen, are you two a couple? Are you two a legitimate couple?” he quipped, according to the fan-recorded video on X and YouTube.
“Do you understand English? Hablas Español? OK, I’m just going to risk it,” Martin added.
This story originally appeared in The New York Post.
Originally published as Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot on leave, as Alyssa Stoddard also named from ‘kiss cam’
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