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What is the story about?
Months after a brief moment on a Coldplay concert kiss cam spiralled into a viral controversy, former Astronomer HR executive Kristin Cabot has spoken publicly for the first time, calling the incident a “bad decision” fuelled by “a couple of High Noons” and admitting it has left her “unemployable.”
Cabot, a 53-year-old mother of two, was caught on camera in a 16-second public display of affection with her then-boss, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, during a Coldplay concert. The clip quickly went viral, turning her into an internet meme and, she says, ending her career.
“I made a bad decision and had a couple of High Noons and danced and acted inappropriately with my boss,” Cabot told the New York Times, describing Byron as her “big happy crush.”
“And it’s not nothing. And I took accountability and I gave up my career for that. That’s the price I chose to pay.”
In a separate interview with the Times of London, Cabot pushed back against the scale of the backlash, saying the reaction far exceeded the incident itself.
“I could have been struck by lightning, I could have won the lottery, or this could have happened,” she said. “But I’m not some celebrity, I’m just a mom from New Hampshire. Even if I did have an affair, it’s not anybody’s business.”
She added that the episode became “like a scarlet letter,” erasing years of professional achievement. “This can’t be the final word,” she said, noting she had become “a meme” and “the most maligned HR manager in HR history.”
Cabot stated that both she and Byron were amicably separated from their spouses at the time and had attended the concert with friends. She acknowledged developing a “big happy crush” on Byron after learning he, too, was splitting from his wife.
Recounting the moment, Cabot said she felt anonymous in a crowd of tens of thousands. “We were just dancing, I’d had a few High Noons,” she said. “Andy was standing behind me and we were dancing and I grabbed him.”
She admitted her immediate fear when the jumbotron revealed them was that her soon-to-be ex-husband, who was also at the concert, would be embarrassed. “He’s an amazing guy and does not deserve that,” she said.
A moment later, reality set in. “Oh God, Andy’s my effing boss,” Cabot recalled thinking. “This is a bad look.”
Cabot, a 53-year-old mother of two, was caught on camera in a 16-second public display of affection with her then-boss, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, during a Coldplay concert. The clip quickly went viral, turning her into an internet meme and, she says, ending her career.
“I made a bad decision and had a couple of High Noons and danced and acted inappropriately with my boss,” Cabot told the New York Times, describing Byron as her “big happy crush.”
“And it’s not nothing. And I took accountability and I gave up my career for that. That’s the price I chose to pay.”
In a separate interview with the Times of London, Cabot pushed back against the scale of the backlash, saying the reaction far exceeded the incident itself.
“I could have been struck by lightning, I could have won the lottery, or this could have happened,” she said. “But I’m not some celebrity, I’m just a mom from New Hampshire. Even if I did have an affair, it’s not anybody’s business.”
She added that the episode became “like a scarlet letter,” erasing years of professional achievement. “This can’t be the final word,” she said, noting she had become “a meme” and “the most maligned HR manager in HR history.”
Cabot stated that both she and Byron were amicably separated from their spouses at the time and had attended the concert with friends. She acknowledged developing a “big happy crush” on Byron after learning he, too, was splitting from his wife.
Recounting the moment, Cabot said she felt anonymous in a crowd of tens of thousands. “We were just dancing, I’d had a few High Noons,” she said. “Andy was standing behind me and we were dancing and I grabbed him.”
She admitted her immediate fear when the jumbotron revealed them was that her soon-to-be ex-husband, who was also at the concert, would be embarrassed. “He’s an amazing guy and does not deserve that,” she said.
A moment later, reality set in. “Oh God, Andy’s my effing boss,” Cabot recalled thinking. “This is a bad look.”
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