logo
Irishman faces backlash after being wrongly accused as man at centre of viral Coldplay clip

Irishman faces backlash after being wrongly accused as man at centre of viral Coldplay clip

Sunday World7 days ago
'My name isn't particularly common, this is the first other Andy Byron I've ever heard of, so obviously I found it funny.'
An Irish man has been caught up in a global viral internet scandal that saw a tech executive and his employee caught in an intimate embrace on a 'kiss cam' at a Coldplay concert.
Dublin born Andy Byron, who is happily married with two children, was left shell shocked on Thursday evening when his phone blew up while he was on holiday with his wife.
There were hundreds of messages from internet users wrongly accusing him of cheating on his spouse.
Speaking to the Sunday World this weekend, the Dublin graphic designer said: 'It all started on Thursday evening.
"I'm on annual leave at the moment and hadn't been looking at my phone much through the day when I started getting messages on some of my friends Whatsapp groups asking me if I had enjoyed the Coldplay gig.'
Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and chief people officer Kristin Cabot on camera at the concert
Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 19th
"I didn't know what the story was yet, but then one of my friends sent me the link that I'm sure everyone has seen by now.
'My name isn't particularly common, this is the first other Andy Byron I've ever heard of, so obviously I found it funny.
'When I checked my LinkedIn later I saw that I was getting weird messages from people I didn't know.
"They were saying things like 'you got caught bad' and 'you got what you deserved'. I just thought it was really bizarre that complete strangers would go online and send messages to someone like him when it had absolutely nothing to do with them? People can be so weird online.'
Byron who runs an animation and video content studio called Stylo in Dublin said 'I'm used to making things for social media'.
'So the first thing I did was put out a message to my friends on LinkedIn saying that it couldn't have been me because I would never go to a Coldplay gig. Then I decided to change my job title from Creative Director to "NOT THE GUY FROM THE COLDPLAY GIG" in order to get no more weird messages.'
That night Byron went to bed and 'didn't think too much more of it'.
But the next morning when he woke there were more people 'thinking I was the infamous Andy Byron'.
He says he even got a message from 'one woman asking if I was single'.
His wife found it 'mildly amusing at first' but 'she's looking forward to it blowing over now".
'Especially as we're on holiday with our two kids and we were trying to stay offline while we are away,' he said.
'I think what happened was the other Andy deactivated his account just as I changed my job title, so I now come up as the first result on LinkedIn. I just find it so mad that some people take it upon themselves to reach out to people in these situations to message them. I don't know what they could possibly get out of it?'
On his view of his unfortunate name sake he says: 'I feel bad for the actual people involved, especially Andy's wife and family. If this is the level of attention I'm getting, I can't imagine what it's like for them.'
Meanwhile, this weekend reports are circulating this weekend that the cuddle could cost over €40m.
The real man at the centre of the scandal is wealthy computer executive Andy Byron (50) and his human resource boss Kirstin Cabot (56). Byron is chief of a billion- dollar Artificial Intelligence firm, Astronomer. They are both understood to be married to other people.
Footage of the incident from the Coldplay concert in a stadium of 60,000 people in Boston, Massachusetts spread across the internet on Wednesday.
It shows the crowd watch on as lead singer Chris Martin joked 'oh look at these two…'
Before Mr Byron ducks out of sight and Ms Cabot spins round to turn her face away from the camera.
Martin then continues: 'You ok? Oh what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy. I'm not sure what to do…'
The video has now received over 50 million views on TikTok alone.
In the past 24 hours over 22,000 news articles have been written about the couples company Astronomer, while 9,000 were written about Byron according to Muckrack data.
A separate data company called Memo has also reportedly found that more people have read about the viral incident than Elon Musk's row with Donald Trump and the death of Pope Francis.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Astronomer get the perfect PR hire after Coldplay kiss cam drama
Astronomer get the perfect PR hire after Coldplay kiss cam drama

Extra.ie​

time7 minutes ago

  • Extra.ie​

Astronomer get the perfect PR hire after Coldplay kiss cam drama

The company whose CEO had to resign after he was caught having an alleged affair at a Coldplay gig have brought in the perfect crisis management hire. We know you've seen the video or at least heard the story at this rate, but for those who haven't, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigned under a shroud of controversy after he was caught sharing an embrace with his coworker at a Coldplay concert when singer Chris Martin put them on the big screen as a 'kiss cam' moment. With all eyes on the company at the centre of the controversy, Astronomer leaned into the controversy in perfect fashion, hiring a new, very temporary spokesperson (and Chris Martin's ex-wife!) Gwyneth Paltrow to 'address' the controversy. Thank you for your interest in Astronomer. — Astronomer (@astronomerio) July 25, 2025 Saying that she's been hired on a very temporary basis, Gwyneth said in the minute-long video that Astronomer 'has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days, and they wanted me to answer the most common ones.' The first most common question (naturally) was 'OMG! What the actual f–' before Gwyneth immediately cuts off the question by saying 'yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache airflow,' before explaining the use of AI in the company. 'We've been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation,' Gwyneth said, not breaking even once. 'As for the other questions…' before the next question asks 'how is your social media team holding up?' The company whose CEO had to resign after he was caught having an alleged affair at a Coldplay gig have brought in the perfect crisis management hire following the scandal. Pic: instagraace/Instagram Gwyneth immediately cuts off the second question, saying: 'Yes! There is still room available at our Beyond Analytics event in September,' before saying that Astronomer will return to 'what we do best: delivering game-changing results for our customers.' People loved the video, and particularly who they managed to get as their spokesperson — with one person writing on Twitter (X) 'This might be one of the greatest cases of crisis management you'll see in a while. This will definitely be used as a case study in schools for years to come. The fact that they used Chris Martin's ex-wife for this makes it even more incredible!!!' 'Guys this is a PR masterclass,' another wrote. 'You take the most viral moment of July 2025 and, instead of disaster control, make light of the situation and create the ultimate brand awareness,' while another added that it was 'one of the best crisis responses I've ever seen in my entire life.' Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow were married for over a decade. Pic: Christopher Polk/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/NBC/Getty Images Gwyneth and Chris married in 2003 and were together for over a decade, sharing two children, Apple and Moses, before separating and ultimately divorcing in 2016. The scandal occurred during the band's gig in Gillette Stadium, Massachusetts, earlier this month, when Andy and his Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot were displayed on the big screen having a cuddle. The pair immediately separated and went into hiding, with Chris joking: 'Either they're having an affair or are just really shy,' with Andy resigning as Astronomer CEO just days after the scandal. Astronomer have since confirmed that Ms Cabot left the company earlier this week.

Irish Heritage hosts its annual summer concert
Irish Heritage hosts its annual summer concert

Irish Post

time11 minutes ago

  • Irish Post

Irish Heritage hosts its annual summer concert

THE IRISH Heritage Summer Concert took place in the beautiful surroundings of Leighton House in Holland Park, London. The evening attracted a large attendance and featured performances from flautist Sinead Walsh, pianists Georgina Cassidy and Alfred Fardell, tenor Owen Lucas and violist Eve Quigley. Tenor Owen Lucas (Pics: Malcolm McNally Photography) Irish Heritage is a registered charity whose objective is to advance public education and appreciation of the arts, particularly those of Irish and Anglo-Irish music, arts, literature and drama to the benefit of the community. The next Irish Heritage event in the calendar is a collaboration with the London Yeats Society celebrating the era of William Butler Yeats with an evening of poems and music on October 22. Click here for more information. Scroll down for more pictures from the event... Flautist Sinead Walsh is pictured centre with her mother Catherine and Hannah Seymour (Pics: Malcolm McNally Photography) Pianist Georgina Cassidy and flautist Sinead Walsh (Pics: Malcolm McNally Photography) Irish Heritage committee members Isobel and Margaret Parkinson are pictured with Frances Connolly (Pics: Malcolm McNally Photography) Irish Heritage Chairperson Jim Kirby is pictured with his wife Adelaide and Mary Wilson Mary's parents Ethna and Charles Kennedy founded Irish Heritage in 1974 Irish Heritage Artistic Administrator Tara Viscardi is pictured with Paul Malin and Ruben Padilla (Pics: Malcolm McNally Photography) Helen Holmes, Rosemary Phillips and Irish Heritage Trustee Mary (Pics: Malcolm McNally Photography) See More: Irish Heritage, Summer Concert

Coldplay kiss cam company Astronomer hires Chris Martin's ex Gwyneth Paltrow for tongue-in-cheek video
Coldplay kiss cam company Astronomer hires Chris Martin's ex Gwyneth Paltrow for tongue-in-cheek video

The Irish Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Irish Sun

Coldplay kiss cam company Astronomer hires Chris Martin's ex Gwyneth Paltrow for tongue-in-cheek video

GWYNETH Paltrow was yesterday hired by crisis-hit firm Astronomer following the fall-out from the "affair saga" at her ex's Chris Martin's Coldplay gig. The A-lister actress turned influencer 4 Coldplay kiss cam company Astronomer hires Chris Martin's ex Gwyneth Paltrow for tongue-in-cheek video Credit: Linkedin 4 Astronomer's chief executive Andy Byron was caught canoodling with his head of human resources Kristin Cabot at a gig Credit: tiktok/instaagraace 4 Humiliated Byron and Cabot quit their jobs at the tech company as a result of the scandal Credit: tiktok/instaagraace Astronomer's chief executive Chris Martin - Paltrow's ex-husband and father to her two children - called the couple out at the time for "having an affair" because of their fraught reaction. Humiliated Byron and Cabot quit their jobs at the tech company as a Now, Paltrow has made a cameo on Astronomer's LinkedIn page, starring as a " read more in world news The Shakespeare In Love star, wearing a blue shirt with corporate music playing in the background, said: "Thank you for your interest in Astronomer. "Hi, I'm Gwyneth Paltrow. "I've been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300 plus employees at Astronomer. "Astronomer has got a lot of questions in the last few days, and they wanted me to answer the most common ones." Most read in The US Sun An on-screen question starting "what the actual f***" was abruptly cut off just as Paltrow reappeared on screen. She said: "Yes! Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow." New vid of Coldplay kiss cam CEO Andy Byron shows 'cheating' pair standing out in crowd in plain view of Chris Martin She then quipped: "We've been thrilled to see so many people suddenly interested in data workflow automation." Another question began, "How is your social media team holding…" before The Talented Mr. Ripley star, with a twinkle in her eye, went on: "Yes! There is still space available at our Beyond Analytics event this September!" The celeb's on-screen cameo went down a storm with fans. Kristin Cabot was seen for the first time since the kiss cam scandal that led to her resignation last Thursday. The software company confirmed the married 52-year-old stepped down from her role, just over a week after she was caught with the company's boss at Boston's Gillette Stadium. The status of her marriage remains unknown. Her husband, Andrew Cabot, 60, an heir to the £11billion Cabot family fortune, nowhere to be seen at their home. Byron had been CEO of Astronomer - valued at over $1.3billion - since July 2023. The company said in a statement: "As stated previously, 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, and recently, that standard was not met. "Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted." 4 Chris Martin is Paltrow's ex-husband Credit: Getty

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store