The fallout from *that* uber-viral Coldplay kiss cam moment continues, with a social media post now confirming that Andy Byron, one-half of the pair caught in the now-infamous cheating scandal, has resigned from his position as the CEO of Astronomer.
ICYMI, the internet has been utterly engrossed in the controversy engulfing Byron and Kristen Cabot, after they were caught embracing — and promptly un-embracing — on the Jumbotron of Coldplay’s show in Massachusetts earlier this week.
Given their noticeable skittishness at being projected on the big screen, and frontman Chris Martin’s mid-set suggestion that “they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy”, it didn’t take internet sleuths long to identify the couple as the CEO and CPO of Astronomer, a US tech company based in New York.
In the aftermath, Byron’s actual wife, Megan Kerrigan Byron — with whom he shares two children — dropped the surname from her Facebook profile, and Astronomer’s official social media pages announced that the company had launched an investigation to ensure the company remained “committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding”.
Now, we’ve learned that Byron — who was initially put on temporary leave alongside Cabot — has now officially resigned as CEO, according to a LinkedIn post shared by Astronomer earlier this morning.
“Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted,” the post read.
Astronomer went on to confirm that Pete DeJoy, the Cofounder and Chief Product Officer, will serve as the interim CEO as the company “begin[s] a search for our next Chief Executive”.
Elsewhere in the post, Astronomer addressed the worldwide attention it had received in the wake of the kiss cam heard ‘round the world, saying that while “awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not”.
It is the latest development in an internet saga that will do-doubt have its own Wikipedia page someday, with additional details emerging in the days since the pair had the ‘secret’ taken out of their ‘secret rendezvous’.
On Friday, a new angle of the viral moment showed Martin appearing regretful after directing the camera at Byron and Cabot, and the following day, the woman who captured the original video shared a statement saying that she hopes it will be a “blessing in disguise” for their respective partners.
Elsewhere, we learned that the third person captured on the Jumbotron was not Astronomer employee Alyssa Stoddard, despite widespread speculation she was the one (painfully) grinning as the couple darted off screen.
At this point, I half-expect Ryan Murphy to be currently drafting a pilot for the inevitable TV dramatisation. Has anyone checked Sarah Paulson’s filming schedule?
Lead images: TikTok and LinkedIn
