"Kids Feared I Was Going To Die": Kristin Cabot After Coldplay Kiss Cam Scandal

A seemingly harmless moment at a Coldplay concert ended up turning Kristin Cabot's life upside down -- a story now known to the world. Months after the viral 'kiss cam' clip, which showed Cabot and her boss Andy Byron embracing, the former HR head at Astronomer, has spoken out about the emotional toll of the incident, revealing her children feared for her safety and were afraid to be seen with her in public. She also expressed disappointment over how the controversy was handled, saying she was subjected to death threats, body shaming, and online harassment. 

Cabot, who was separated from her husband at the time, acknowledged making a "bad decision" after drinking and dancing with her then-boss Byron. She took accountability for her actions, resigned from her job, and has since faced challenges rebuilding her life. Cabot stated she broke her silence to show her children that while people make mistakes and "screw up," they should not be threatened with death for them.

The impact of the scandal on her children

Cabot revealed that the scandal caused severe trauma for her children, who faced public shaming and safety fears. Cabot told the New York Times that she began receiving threatening messages after the incident, including one warning from someone claiming to know where she shopped and saying, "I'm coming for you."

Her personal information was exposed online, leading to a wave of harassment. For weeks, she reportedly received up to 600 calls a day, while paparazzi camped outside her home in what she described as a "parade." She also shared that she received between 50 to 60 death threats.

Her children -- a 14-year-old daughter and a teenage son--became terrified for their safety after hearing death threats directed at Cabot, The New York Times reported. In one instance, they overheard a threatening voicemail Cabot played on speakerphone for her mother, leading them to fear they might all be killed.

"They were already in really bad shape and that's when the wheels fell off the cart. Because my kids were afraid that I was going to die and they were going to die," Cabo shared. 

Public Scrutiny and Harassment

The children were also subjected to public scrutiny while out with their mother. Cabot recalled an incident at a town pool where a woman took photos of her and her daughter, causing her daughter to beg through tears to leave. Her children also became reluctant to be seen with her in public and temporarily refused to let her pick them up from school or attend their sporting events due to embarrassment. "They're mad at me. And they can be mad at me for the rest of their lives - I have to take that," she said. 

Cabot recalled another distressing encounter where a group of women approached her after picking up her son from work. They addressed her as "that girl" and tried to shame her.

"I didn't know what to do to support my kids correctly," she added. 

To cope with the "severe trauma," the children saw therapists and have only recently begun returning to school as the harassment started to subside.

The 'Kiss-cam' Scandal

The controversy erupted on July 16 this year, when Kristin, then the Chief People Officer at Astronomer, was caught on a jumbotron at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in an embrace with her boss, then-CEO Andy Byron, during a Coldplay concert. The awkward moment, amplified by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin's playful remark about a possible affair, led to a media frenzy and significant personal and professional fallout for both individuals.

Both resigned from Astronomer within days, with Byron stepping down on July 19 and Cabot following shortly after, amid an internal investigation by the company. 

Earlier, Andrew Cabot clarified that he and Kristin had amicably separated weeks before the concert, emphasising that their divorce was already in motion before the public spectacle.