
The Internet Loves Getting 'Cheaters' Fired – But I Worry We're Missing The Point
He was let go from his Try Guys role amidst public outrage. And now, Astronomer's CEO Andy Bryon has stepped down from his role following a TikTok clip which some online sleuths say shows him cheating with his HR lead at a Coldplay concert.
Though the company have not confirmed Andy was the person in the viral video, they have written in a statement that 'Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.'
I have already shared that I'm not the biggest fan of how some people are engaging with the 'Coldplay affair.'
Nor do I think that public reaction should influence a person's professional status before an official investigation.
For instance, the company's Senior Director of People, 'identified' by TikTok detectives, has had her LinkedIn profile bombarded by commenters who think she got her promotion by hiding her boss' romance.
The comments came through, despite there being absolutely no evidence that this was the case (the company has since revealed she 'was not there. This is a rumour started on Twitter').
This is wrong. A likely innocent woman's professional page is now littered with potentially career-disrupting claims due to almost certainly baseless delusions of online 'accountability.'
That's the sort of perversely gleeful dogpiling I'm sure Jon Ronson's So You've Been Publicly Shamed would have a field day with.
Lawyer Eric Kingsley, firm partner at Kingsley Szamet Employment Lawyers, told us: 'Legally, the private life of an individual usually will not be cause for termination unless the private life somehow overlaps the professional environment or threatens the organisation.'
But in the case of both Fulmer and, if true, Bryon, there's more to the story than just 'bad vibes.'
'If the conduct in question involves other staff members or directly affects the workplace environment, the rationale for termination greatly changes,' the lawyer said.
Fulmer's relationship was with a relatively junior employee, while Bryon's suspected 'affair' was alleged to be with his HR lead.
'A Chief Executive Officer being involved in a romantic relationship with an employee, even more so if there exists a position of power, creates huge potential for problems of favouritism, coercion, and the risk of legal action based upon harassment or retribution,' Kingsley added.
'Even if the relationship remains voluntary, the potential can damage the morale of employees, cause intra-company disputes, or violate stated policies of the company. Some companies place explicit policies regarding intra-company relations in place in order to avoid complications.'
Meanwhile, Thomas Roulet, a fellow and director of studies in psychology and behavioural science at King's College, Cambridge, says that 'If someone's personal life affects their professional performance and engagement, yes, we could definitely consider HR interventions (it could be a warning, or go as far as getting fired).'
The same goes if their performance and judgement are affected by the relationship, he added.
But I don't think unfairly prying and overly moralistic internet commenters keep those rules in mind in their hunt for a perceived 'bad guy' – Astronomer's Senior Director of People is proof that many of us make the court of public opinion far too punishing, despite using inconsistent 'laws.'
That misses the point; it's all about power dynamics.
As it happens, piling on an (again, likely innocent) woman who you believe to have gotten her promotion based solely on hiding an affair without any evidence whatsoever is not exactly the best use of our collective power.
I fear the 'reward' of firing a person armchair warriors believe to have cheated has left some to believe that their beliefs about adultery, whether grounded or not, ought to result in indiscriminate real-life action.
Personally, I don't think that unkind quest has anything to do with accountability; we are confusing our own amateur sleuthing for genuine, professional investigation.
Just because the two might sometimes have the same result, though, does not mean it's fair to equate them.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Cosmopolitan
an hour ago
- Cosmopolitan
Kelly Clarkson debuts a short bob haircut, chopping off 6+ inches from her waist-skimming lengths
Kelly Clarkson is marking a new era with not only a return to The Voice, but with a new – and much shorter – hairstyle, too. One could say she's breaking away from the longer locks... Soz. In a recent social media video revealing that the singer is rejoining as a coach on The Voice alongside Adam Levine and John Legend, she also unveiled a fresh bob haircut. "Three Coaches, one incredible season. Adam Levine, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson go head-to-head in our Battle of Champions Spring 2026. 🏆," the Instagram caption read. With a turn of the big red chair, gone are Kelly's waist-skimming honey blonde locks and instead, she's sporting a textured, chin-length bob haircut, styled in soft waves and a deep side parting for extra volume and lift. For context and to really gauge how dramatic this transformation really is, here's a look at Kelly's hair before: Aaaand after: Shocking, much?! Now, with that all said, we must speculate that this short hairstyle may be the result of either a wig or a very clever hair trick. After all, we've seen this be the case with many celebrity hair transformations as of late – Nicole Kidman, Rita Ora and Julia Roberts, I'm looking @ you. Alas, friend of faux (the bob in question, that is), there's no denying that Kelly can catch my breath with just about any look. Let's give it up for a moment like this... OK, I'll stop. Follow Lia on Instagram. Lia Mappoura (she/her) is the Beauty Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. Covering everything from viral celebrity hair and makeup news to the latest trend predictions, she's an expert in recognising the season's next big beauty look (before it ends up all over your social media feeds). You'll usually find her putting TikTok's recent beauty hacks to the Hype Test, challenging the gender-makeup binary and social stereotypes, or fangirling over the time Kourtney Kardashian viewed her Instagram Story (yes, it's true). Find her also on LinkedIn.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
CEO Andy Byron Looking To Sue Coldplay After Viral Kiss Cam Moment, Says ‘Source'
Coldplay's viral kiss cam moment may take a turn for the worse for the band. Insiders exclusively told Rob Shuter's #ShuterScoop that former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, who is at the center of the incident, is considering suing Coldplay with a lawsuit over the viral moment. According to the source, Byron isn't too happy with the fact that the clip of him embracing a woman has not only taken over the internet but has also become fodder for jokes. Coldplay's Chris Martin has 'laughed out loud' at the idea of being sued over kiss cam, says 'insider' Former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron has had a rough couple of days since being involved in a viral kiss cam at Coldplay's concert. For those unaware, the band's Massachusetts concert captured Byron embracing his alleged work colleague on the jumbotron screen. This moment soon went viral, with users claiming that he is a married man. The incident, coupled with his resignation as CEO, has led Byron to consider going the legal route against the band for exposing him on screen. According to Rob Shuter's exclusive report, the former CEO is exploring a lawsuit against Coldplay over the viral kiss cam incident. Insiders revealed that Byron is citing 'emotional distress' and 'invasion of privacy' while planning to sue the band and the event organizers. A source close to him expressed that he 'didn't consent to being filmed or publicly humiliated.' Byron reportedly 'thinks Coldplay made him a meme.' Meanwhile, legal experts told the outlet that they didn't view his legal course coming into fruition. An attorney noted that one can expect no privacy when it's a public concert with cameras and thousands of people gathered. The expert believed that the former Astronomer CEO is likely 'trying to shift blame.' While Coldplay is yet to respond to the report, sources shared that frontman Chris Martin 'laughed out loud' at Byron's attempt to sue the band. The viral kiss cam moment is still a raging topic of conversation on the internet. The video, which captured Byron and the woman in an embrace, ended up becoming a massive pop culture moment. The clip featured both parties hiding their faces after realizing they were on the jumbotron. Originally reported by Varsha Narayanan on Reality Tea. The post CEO Andy Byron Looking To Sue Coldplay After Viral Kiss Cam Moment, Says 'Source' appeared first on Mandatory. Solve the daily Crossword

USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Ozzy Osbourne taught kids to rebel by subverting Christianity
In Ozzy Osbourne's hands, Satan gave a middle finger to hypocrisy and fearmongering. The now-deceased rock star lifted up a mirror to a society obsessed with sin, and he laughed. Ozzy Osbourne is dead, and some Christians may believe that the devil ushered him straight to the gates of hell. Few pop culture icons were as important, or as controversial, as Osbourne. The British-born rocker became the avatar of American culture wars more than a half-century ago by attempting to showcase the hypocrisy of modern religion. Osbourne launched his career in the late 1960s. Sensitive to cultural currents, he recognized what was happening not just in music, but also in religion and politics. He used it to build on the image of rock as subversive and countercultural. Ozzy Osbourne saw society's fears and leaned into them From the start, Osbourne understood how to bring attention to his art. Calling his band Black Sabbath sent a clear message. He aimed to subvert, not honor, Christianity. He integrated crosses, demonic imagery and symbols of the devil such as bats into his performances to highlight what he saw as the absurdity of organized religion. Ozzy Osbourne tribute: Coldplay gives Ozzy Osbourne an emotional tribute at Nashville concert Osbourne sang lyrics in his first album about a 'figure in black' that directed him, and in another song, he took on the persona of Satan himself: 'My name is Lucifer, please take my hand.' In Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" album, released at the height of the Vietnam War, he sang 'War Pigs,' a song in which Satan laughed and spread his wings as political and military elites led the Western world to the doorstep of the apocalypse. Such allusions to the demonic continued in album after album. Osbourne's career developed parallel to a new understanding of Satan. In the post-World War II era, the devil assumed a more prominent role in American life. Anton LaVey's founding of the Church of Satan in 1966 celebrated Satan as a symbol of rebellion, individualism and secular liberation. In other words, Satan was the opposite of everything anxious Cold War parents wanted to instill in their kids. Artists drew on this revamped Satan in their work. Films like "The Exorcist" (1973) and "The Omen" (1976) brought Satan − and fears of Satan's ability to inhabit human bodies − into the imaginations of millions of people. Osbourne made those themes central to his music. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. In the 1980s, while Osbourne was still releasing albums, fears of satanic ritual abuse swept across the United States. Christian conservatives fretted that Dungeons & Dragons, Ouija boards and horror films were gateways to demonic influence. High-profile cases like the McMartin preschool trial and the publication of memoirs about escaping satanic ritual abuse fueled widespread panic. Law enforcement agencies conducted seminars on occult crime, therapists uncovered repressed memories of ritual abuse and talk shows amplified claims of underground satanic cults. The panic revealed deep anxieties about child safety, cultural change and the perceived decline of Christian values in American society. Perhaps, parents and religious leaders wondered, was Osbourne driving kids into satanism? Perhaps his music was brainwashing the nation's youth? Conservative Christians − including evangelicals, Catholics and Latter-day Saints − believe in a cosmic battle between angels and demons that directly influences human affairs. They believe that unseen spiritual battles determine real-world outcomes, particularly in culture, politics and morality. Many of them also believed they had to protect children from music like Osbourne's. This framework encouraged social conservatives to interpret issues like abortion, LGBTQ+ rights and the de-Christianizing of culture as evidence of demonic influence, necessitating counteraction through prayer, activism and political engagement. Osbourne and the genre of hard rock that he helped to promote contributed to their fears. In their minds, Osbourne was encouraging youth to rebel. And he was. Life on a 'Crazy Train': A timeline of Ozzy Osbourne's odyssey Osbourne saw the devil as a symbol of rebellion Osbourne's fans understood what the rock star was doing. They loved it. The more angry Osbourne could make their parents, and the more he could rile up moral crusaders, the better. And he agreed. Playing with the devil became a hallmark of his long career. From witch hunts in Salem to conspiracy theories driving QAnon, Americans have used Satan to facilitate a politics of fear. They have used him to justify persecution, fuel moral panics, shape political and cultural battles, and assess global crises and war. But there has always been another side to Satan, the one Osbourne captured. His devil wasn't the horned villain of Christian nightmares but a trickster, a rebel, a symbol of freedom from sanctimony. In Osbourne's hands, Satan gave a theatrical middle finger to hypocrisy and lifted up a mirror to a society obsessed with sin, and he laughed. His life reminds us that sometimes, dancing with the devil is really just refusing to march in lockstep with the saints. Matthew Avery Sutton is the author of the forthcoming "Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity." He is the chair of the history department and the Claudius O. and Mary Johnson Distinguished Professor at Washington State University. You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter.