On the evening of July 16, at a Coldplay concert in Boston, Andy Byron, CEO of tech company Astronomer, and his Chief People Officer Christine Cabot were enjoying the band’s performance with friends. When the live camera panned to them on the big screen, the footage showed the 51-year-old Byron with his arms wrapped around the 53-year-old Christine.
The pair were clearly startled by the sudden moment and immediately tried to dodge the camera in a panic. This awkward moment was fully captured, and the band’s lead singer even joked on stage, “Oh, what’s going on? They’re either having an affair or they’re just very shy.” As both are married, social media was immediately abuzz with speculation that they had been caught having an affair on camera.
The company quickly announced it would investigate the incident, and both individuals were placed on leave. The day after the scandal erupted, Byron announced his resignation. Less than a week later, Christine also submitted her resignation.
On September 23, a source close to Christine came forward to explain the nature of their relationship and reveal the backstory. It turned out that on the night of the incident, her husband, Andrew Cabot, was also at the same concert on a date with another woman.
“No Affair, the Price Was Too Devastating”
After the scandal broke, Christine was consistently labeled an “homewrecker” by the public. A source close to her came forward to try and set the record straight.
“Christine and Andy had a fantastic working relationship and a deep friendship; there was no affair,” the source said. “Hugging your boss at a concert was inappropriate, and she takes full responsibility for that. But the scandal that followed, the collapse of her career, the loss of her job—all of that is unfair.”
The insider revealed that Christine was incredulous that the incident had spiraled into global news. In the first three days after the scandal broke, Christine “received about 900 death threats on her phone.”
The harassment even extended offline. When she went to pick up her son, “there were people standing outside her car, and some adult women were laughing at her, taking pictures, and pointing.”
Andrew Exposed to Be Dating New Flame at Same Concert
The source pointed out that previous media reports contained “numerous misunderstandings,” and “the fact is, he (Andrew) was on a date at that Coldplay concert.”
Initial reports had stated that on the night of the concert, Andrew—who is the owner of rum brand Privateer Rum and comes from a prominent Boston family—was on a business trip in Japan and unaware of what had happened.
The source refuted this claim, stating that the couple had not been divorced before the concert but had “been separated and living apart for several weeks in a friendly manner.” The woman Andrew was dating on the night of the concert, “is now his girlfriend.”
On August 13, Christine officially filed for divorce in court. Her husband Andrew subsequently confirmed through a spokesperson that the couple was separated and in the process of divorcing, and requested privacy for their family.
