Latest news with #Cabots
India Today
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Scandal-hit Astronomer HR chief has ties to Boston Brahmins. Who are they?
A two-second viral kiss-cam video featuring Astronomer HR chief Kristin Cabot and her boss Andy Byron during a Coldplay concert has led to a storm of memes as well as turned media gaze into their private lives. The scandal has brought into focus Cabot's elite family background - the Boston is married to Andrew Cabot, the sixth-generation owner of Privateer Rum, and has two children with him. The Cabots are one of the original Boston Brahmin families, whose influence stretches back to over two centuries. advertisementWHO ARE THE BOSTON BRAHMINS?One of America's oldest and storied aristocrats, the Boston Brahmins are descendants of English puritans. The puritans were religious reformers who sailed to New England in the 1600s. The term was coined in the 1860s by writer and physician Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr, who likened Boston's elite class to the 'Brahmins' of India for their intellectualism, self-restraint, and inherited status. The name has stuck since families - Cabots, Lowells, Adamses, Peabodys, Eliots, and Winthrops - helped shape America's political, cultural, and educational institutions. These families helped create Harvard, launched shipping empires, and wrote some of the country's earliest Boston Brahmins were among the earliest to campaign for ending slavery and liberating enslaved people. They also bankrolled some of America's earliest museums and Anglo-American elites earned massive wealth through multiple business ventures - whale oil, opium, and later carbon black manufacturing (a critical component in the production of tyres).However, what set them apart was not just their wealth, but their cultural refinement. They preferred to stay out of the spotlight and married within their INFLUENCEEven though the grip of the Boston Brahmin families has begun to wane, the Cabot name still carries weight in Boston. Their estimated wealth is reported to be around USD 15 their legacy isn't without its share of controversy. Some of these families had backed the Immigration Restriction League - an anti-immigration organisation - that worked against migration from Southern and Eastern Europe. This was to protect their lineage and the idea of American as Irish, Italian and Jewish immigrants arrived in Boston, leaving their imprint on Boston's culture, the Boston Brahmins began to fade into the Cabot's fleeting kiss-cam video went viral, it brought with it a cacophony of opinions on the scandal involving two married people. And also threw the spotlight on America's oldest elite, whose legacy has been built on discretion.- EndsTrending Reel
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Astronomer's HR Head Kristin Cabot is married in a Boston Brahmin family: Who are Boston Brahmins brought into light by Coldplay controversy
A simple 'kiss cam' clip from Coldplay's concert in the Greater Boston area recently led to a storm of viral videos, capturing ex-Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and HR Head Kristin Cabot embracing each other. Coldplay lead Chris Martin called out at the displayed video of the couple, and ever since then, social media and online platforms have been full of memes and content around them. The fallout from the concert has opened a window into a world about which most people outside Massachusetts rarely hear, where tradition can matter just as much as money. One of those names is Cabot. For generations, the Cabot family has been part of America's old elite, a kind of modern-day aristocracy that usually stays out of the spotlight. But this viral moment has brought the name into the spotlight. Kristin is married into the Cabot family, one of Boston's oldest and most influential lineages. Her husband, Andrew Cabot, is the sixth-generation owner of Privateer Rum and part of a dynasty that stretches back ten generations in New England. The Cabots are one of the bases of the Boston Brahmins, a class once described by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. in his 1861 novel Elsie Venner as the 'Brahmin Caste of New England.' Coldplay's Boston kiss cam accidentally exposed Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and HR chief Kristin Cabot in an alleged affair. Now, the internet and LinkedIn are buzzing with questions about the rumoured office romance. Who are the Boston Brahmins? They are known as the 'First Families of Boston'. The Boston Brahmins were Anglo-Saxon Protestant elites who dominated New England's political, cultural, and economic life from the 18th to the early 20th century. 'And this is good old Boston / The home of the bean and the cod / Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots / And the Cabots talk only to God,' goes a famous rhyme still recited by Boston schoolchildren. But being a Brahmin isn't just about wealth; it's also about legacy and restraint. According to The New York Post, the Cabots built their fortune in the soot trade, specifically carbon black, which was essential for tire manufacturing. Today, family members like Andrew Cabot manage family-run enterprises, in line with Brahmin tradition. After the ongoing controversy around the recent cheating scandal at a Coldplay concert in Massachusetts, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigned from his position, but there is outrage over Kristin Cabot's face and calls to resign after the Coldplay scandal. Also read about Kristin Cabot's 'Boston Brahmin' family history. The unspoken rules of privilege For Boston Brahmins, showing off was never part of their being. Wealth is something you live with quietly, not something you flash around. A true Brahmin might take the T to work, wear the same simple, but well-made, suit year after year, and eat cold roast leftovers instead of going out for fancy meals. As petr reports by the New York Post, former Massachusetts Governor William Weld, a proud Brahmin himself, once said, 'Your name should only appear in print three times: when you're born, when you marry, and when you die. ' He joked that he didn't quite follow that rule, since he ended up in the papers more often than tradition would allow.
Mint
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Who are Boston Brahmins? Kristin Cabot's powerful family ties resurface amid scandal at Coldplay concert
Amid a scandal that has everyone talking, Astronomer's HR chief Kristin Cabot, who was recently seen cuddling with now-ex CEO Andy Byron at a Coldplay concert, is now drawing attention not just for her workplace conduct but also for her elite family background. Kristin is married to Andrew Cabot, owner of Privateer Rum, and a descendant of the prestigious Cabot family, one of Boston's oldest and wealthiest lineages. The Cabots are part of the so-called Boston Brahmins, a term historically used to describe the city's most elite Anglo-American families. The phrase was coined by author Oliver Wendell Holmes in his 1861 novel Elsie Venner, likening Boston's elite to India's Brahmins, the highest priestly caste, to describe their social standing, exclusivity, and cultural influence. According to a PBS report, Boston Brahmins were descendants of early Puritan settlers who amassed their fortunes through trade and industry. Over time, they became synonymous with American aristocracy, known for their wealth, philanthropy, and rigid social circles, but also for resisting social integration and immigration. Their values were rooted in discipline, education, refinement, and civic duty, as documented by the New England Historical Society. Yet, they were also seen as aloof, with a strong sense of inherited privilege. The Cabots were among Boston's most influential families, with wealth tied to shipping, manufacturing, and regional enterprises. Their social status was so exclusive that even the powerful Kennedy family was once seen as outsiders. A popular Boston rhyme sums it up: 'And this is good old Boston, the home of the bean and the cod, Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots, and the Cabots talk only to God.' Kristin Cabot's link to this elite lineage has resurfaced in the wake of the Coldplay concert controversy, adding another layer of public fascination to the scandal that led to the resignation of Astronomer's CEO and an ongoing internal probe involving its HR head.
NDTV
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Who Are The Boston Brahmins? Astronomer HR Head Kristin Cabot's 'Elite Connection' Explained
Astronomer's head of human resources (HR), Kristin Cabot, currently caught in the middle of a raging controversy after being spotted canoodling with her boss, Andy Byron, at the Coldplay concert, has a connection to Boston's richest families. Kristin is married to Andrew Cabot, the owner of Privateer Rum, and part of one of Boston's most elite families. Andrew is the descendant of the Caboot family, which is part of America's elite class, commonly known as the "Boston Brahmins". What are Boston Brahmins? Oliver Wendell Holmes coined the term in his 1861 novel Elsie Venner, calling Boston's elite families "the Brahmin Caste of New England", according to a PBS report. Brahmins are the highest priestly caste in India, and Mr Holmes borrowed the term to describe Boston's upper-class, Anglo-Saxon Protestant families, which has stuck since then. The Boston Brahmins were the descendants of Puritans, having made their fortune as American merchants. They were the closest thing the United States has ever had to a true aristocracy. Mr Holmes described Boston Brahmins as a group who believed they were destined to build a "shining city on a hill", rooted in the Puritan ideals of discipline, thrift, education, and cultural refinement, as per New England Historical Society. The Brahmins were known for their philanthropy but also for their exclusivity, often resisting the integration of immigrants, as seen in their founding of the Immigration Restriction League in 1894. When immigrants did move in to the newly fashionable Old South End, the Brahmins moved out. Who are the popular Boston Brahmins? Some of the popular Boston Brahmin family names are Adams, Cabot, Coffin, Eliot, Emerson, Endicott, Forbes, Gardner, Holmes, Lawrence, Lowell, Otis, Parkman, Peabody, Phillips, Putnam, Quincy, Weld, Wigglesworth, and Winthrop. How rich are the Cabots? The Cabots are part of a class so rarefied that, for decades, even the Kennedys were considered outsiders. Their business ventures spanned shipping, carbon black manufacturing (a critical component in tire production), and various other enterprises across the region. The family is so well known in Boston, it's said locally that the "Cabots speak only to God". As a local poem goes, "And this is good old Boston/ The home of the bean and the cod/ Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots/ And the Cabots talk only to God".
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'As guilty as the CEO': Astronomer's silence on HR chief Kristin Cabot, seen with Andy Byron in viral video, questioned
Astronomer did not mention Kristin Cabot in any of its statements. While Astronomer, the US company that came to the limelight because of Coldplay controversy, announced that Andy Byron resigned from the CEO post and is now hunting for a new CEO to take over, its silence over HR head Kristin Cabot is being questioned. The company has not issued any statement on Cabot, who was seen with Andy Byron at the Coldplay concert in Boston that led to a social media storm. Cabot was placed on leave as was Andy Byron when the company started an investigation into the viral scandal, it was reported, but none of the company's statements mentioned Cabot. And no new name was announced as the acting HR head. Calling Cabot the 'CEO predator', social media users said Cabot is as guilty as the CEO and should resign from her post. Kristin Cabot, Kenneth C Thornby, Andrew Cabot The marital status of the HR head remains ambiguous, as she was once married to Kenneth C Thornby and then to Andrew Cabot. Andrew Cabot is the sixth-generation owner of a rum brand, Privateer Rum, and the Cabot fortune is estimated at $15.4 billion. It's not known when Kristin and Andrew got married, as her divorce from Thornby was finalized in 2022. Before Astronomer, Kristin served as an advisory board member at the Cabot rum company when she was not married to Cabot. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pierce Brosnan's Wife Lost 120 Pounds - This Is Her Now Undo The Cabot family is known to be one of the original 'Boston Brahmin' clans that controlled New England for centuries. The family is so well known in Boston, it's said locally that the 'Cabots speak only to God", New York Post reported. 'And this is good old Boston/ The home of the bean and the cod/ Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots/ And the Cabots talk only to God" -- this is reportedly the local saying. Thornby and Kristin filed for divorce in 2018 and they share at least one child. Thornby was mandated to pay for child support, according to Massachusetts court records.
