Astronomer, a New York-based tech firm, has named actress Gwyneth Paltrow as its “very temporary” spokesperson following a widely publicized incident. The company’s former CEO, Andy Byron, and Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot, resigned after being caught in an on-screen embrace during a Kiss Cam moment at a Coldplay concert. The moment went viral, attracting global attention and sparking embarrassment for the firm.
Paltrow, who previously was married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, released a short video posted on Astronomer’s LinkedIn page. She opened by acknowledging her temporary role and that she had been hired to answer the most common public questions following the scandal. She cheekily addressed a prompt reading “OMG! What the actual f***?” before pivoting to promote the company’s services.
The video avoided direct references to the scandal. Instead, Paltrow emphasized Astronomer’s core product—Apache Airflow, a data automation platform—and touted the firm’s “Beyond Analytics” conference scheduled for September. Her light-hearted tone and familiar connection to the band appear intended to steer public discourse back to business.
The Kiss Cam incident occurred on July 16, 2025, during a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium near Boston. Chris Martin joked on stage, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” when the Kiss Cam revealed Byron and Cabot cozying together. Social media erupted in memes and videos after the moment was widely circulated.
In response, Astronomer swiftly accepted both resignations and launched an internal inquiry. Pete DeJoy, a co-founder, has taken over as interim CEO. The company now aims to transform public curiosity into attention for its services amid the PR fallout. The Sun+7AP News+7New York Post+7
Social media users and press commentary praised the PR move. Many called the stunt a clever and unexpected strategy to regain focus. Others speculated whether the Kiss Cam moment itself was part of a calculated publicity stunt. Instagram+8Glamour+8The Daily Wire+8
