CEO and Exec at Coldplay Concert Weren’t Having ‘Affair,’ Source Insists: ‘This Has Been Devastating for Entire Families’

Two months after former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron was spotted on camera at a Coldplay concert with Kristin Cabot, his company’s chief people officer, a source close to Cabot is speaking out for the first time to clarify what really happened.

At the July 16 show in Foxboro, Mass., Byron, 51, was seen with his arms around Cabot, 53, before quickly ducking out of view when the so-called kiss cam landed on them.

That viral moment, the Cabot source insists, didn’t tell the full story.

According to the source, Cabot was already in the process of divorcing her husband before the concert, while Byron remains married. Still, the source stresses Cabot was not responsible for ending a marriage.

“Kristin and Andy [Byron] had an excellent working relationship, a great friendship. There was no affair,” the source tells PEOPLE.

“It was inappropriate to be hugging your boss at a concert, and she accepts full responsibility for it,” the source continues. “But the scandal, the downfall, the loss of the job — all of that is unfair.”

The pair’s awkward on-screen reaction — Cabot covering her face as Byron tried to hide — drew attention from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who teased the crowd by joking, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”

The incident quickly went global, throwing both Cabot’s and Byron’s marriages into the spotlight. Headlines, memes, and paparazzi followed as tabloids dug into their private lives.

Soon after, both executives left Astronomer. The company issued a statement following Byron’s resignation: “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.”

The source close to Cabot says the coverage spiraled far beyond reality.

“It is important to note how inappropriately mislabeled Kristin has been — as a homewrecker,” they explain, adding that Cabot and Byron were part of a larger group of friends at the concert.

The fallout, they add, has been devastating: “All I can think of is that this could happen to any of us at any time. I think all of the misinformation has been the most mind-blowing to witness. These are real people and real families.”

Neither Cabot nor Byron has publicly commented. Cabot officially filed for divorce on Aug. 13, requesting privacy for the proceedings, which her spouse agreed to. A representative for her husband confirmed the separation, describing it as amicable.

The Cabot source also revealed that Kristin’s husband attended the same Coldplay concert — but on a date of his own. “It was not a company event. There was no company box. It was a night with a big group of friends and an inappropriate moment,” the source says.

Since the incident, Cabot has struggled with the intense public attention. “It’s been hard for her to leave the house. She’s been prioritizing her family. Her kids have been through a lot,” the source shares.

The backlash has at times turned frightening. “In the first three days after the news broke, she had about 900 death threats on her phone,” the source claims. “The mockery made of someone, the way people seem to enjoy public shaming, has been overwhelming.”

Losing her position at Astronomer — where she’d worked for seven months — added to the pressure. She resigned in late July, just days after Byron stepped down.

Still, the source describes Cabot as resilient: “Kristin is and always has been one of the hardest working women I’ve ever met. She’s been working since she was 15 years old. She’s a self-made person.”

For now, Cabot is focused on her children and on moving forward. “Kristin has a lot of family and friends around her that know who she really is and love her, and will all see her through this,” the source says. “It will take time.”