Kristin Cabot probably wasn't expecting to become this summer's newest celebrity for all the wrong reasons, but here we are. The former Astronomer HR executive was spotted for the first time since going viral for getting cozy with ex-CEO Andy Byron on the Coldplay jumbotron, and there was one very noticeable detail: no wedding ring.
Photographed outside her $2.2 million home in Rye, New Hampshire, Cabot wore a pink athleisure set and no shoes as she watered flowers on her property, per Page Six.
There have been mixed reports about whether or not she was still married to her husband, Privateer Rum CEO Andrew Cabot, but internet sleuths found photos of them and their two children.
The sighting came just hours after news broke that she had resigned from her position as Director of People at Astronomer, the $1.2 billion data startup where she worked alongside Byron. An astronomer confirmed Kristin’s resignation, telling TMZ, "Kristin Cabot is no longer with Astronomer -- she’s resigned."
Byron quit as CEO on Saturday, July 19. He was replaced by an interim CEO named Pete DeJoy. “The events of the past few days have received a level of media attention that few companies — let alone startups in our small corner of the data and AI world — ever encounter,” DeJoy wrote in a LinkedIn post on Monday, per CNBC. “The spotlight has been unusual and surreal for our team and, while I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name."
While neither of them has spoken publicly, her missing ring is just the latest sign that things have shifted behind the scenes. Page Six reports that in earlier photos, she was wearing the ring.
As the internet dissected every frame of that viral Coldplay moment, more details surfaced. Byron, who was married at the time, has gone silent on social media. His wife quietly removed his last name from her Facebook before deleting her profile altogether. Both he and Kristin have since deleted their LinkedIn pages.
Astronomer also announced that the Board of Directors has launched a formal investigation into the incident. “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability,” the company wrote.
Byron, who took over as CEO in July 2023, had once praised Cabot’s “exceptional leadership” in a now-deleted LinkedIn post. Cabot joined the company just months later in November.
Their relationship - allegedly more than professional - ignited widespread interest when they were seen embracing on the stadium’s big screen, while a woman sitting next to them looked visibly uncomfortable. That woman was incorrectly identified as another Astronomer employee, prompting the company to clarify that she had no ties to the firm.
What's next?
There has been speculation that Byron may file a lawsuit against Coldplay. “If we are getting creative, a possible claim would be for defamation, specifically as it relates to Chris Martin characterising the two as having an ‘affair,'” attorney Camron Dowlatshahi told Page Six.
But it seems unlikely, considering they would have to prove that they weren't cheating, and that Martin knew they weren't cheating when he made the now famous “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy," remark.
Another attorney named Ron Zambrano told The U.S. Mirror that "any legal claims from Byron would be dead on arrival."
With both parties stepping away from their roles and the internet still buzzing, it’s clear the internet is not ready to let go of this messy story.