Crisis public relations, also known as crisis communications, ensures that organizations are prepared to respond to or manage crises as they arise. A crisis is any event that brings negative attention to a brand, damages its reputation or relationships, or disrupts operations — such as financial scandals, sanitation issues, employee misconduct, or poorly planned advertising campaigns. Well-known public relations (PR) scandals of the past few decades include Kentucky Fried Chicken's chicken shortage, Bud Light's collaboration with Dylan Mulvaney, and numerous accusations against the medication brand Tylenol.
Above: Social media personality Dylan Mulvaney faced backlash after collaborating with the popular beer brand Bud Light in 2023. Within a year, the collaboration resulted in a $1.4 billion (15.3%) loss in sales for the brand.
Organizations must respond to threats in a way that both minimizes damage and protects their image. "When pressure hits, the way a company communicates becomes a reflection of how it operates. This is not only what’s said to the public, but how quickly, transparently, and responsibly those messages are shaped" (PRLab). If brands do not respond to crises effectively, they may lose both customers and investors.
A recent scandal that was well-managed and brought positive attention to the company involved was the Coldplay "Kiss Cam" incident of July 2025.
Coldplay and the "Kiss Cam" Affair Scandal
Coldplayis a British rock band formed in London in 1997. The band, known for hits such as "Viva La Vida," "Something Just Like This," "Yellow," and "Sparks," released its tenth studio album in October 2024. Following its release, the band announced an extension of its "Music of the Spheres" World Tour, with dates scheduled across Canada and the United States. The tour spanned from May to July of this year, with stops in cities including Stanford, California; Denver, Colorado; El Paso, Texas; Boston, Massachusetts; and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Each concert featured a "jumbotron song" segment, in which the camera crew randomly selected individuals or couples in the audience for Coldplay's lead singer, Chris Martin, to improvise songs about. These moments became highlights of each show, with fans wearing costumes and hoisting handmade posters in hopes of being chosen.
Above: Jumbotron songs from the July 19th show in Madison, Wisconsin
However, not all concert-goers were excited to appear on the big screen. On July 16th, at the Boston, Massachusetts show, two fans were seen embracing before separating in a panic and hiding from the cameras. The woman covered her face and turned away, and the man ducked out of sight. Upon seeing their reactions, Martin assured them: "Alright, c'mon, you're okay," before adding, jokingly, "Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy." According to reports, the man on camera said "f****** hell, it's me" before ducking out of frame.
What appeared to be a couple embarrassed to be seen on camera morphed into a full-fledged scandal when internet sleuths uncovered the pair's identities. The man was identified as Andy Byron, the CEO of Astronomer, a data infrastructure company based in New York, and the woman was none other than his colleague, Astronomer's Chief People Officer and head of human resources, Kristin Cabot.
Above: Byron and Cabot
The fan who shared the clip on TikTok, Grace Springer, posted it in the early morning of July 17th, and within hours, it had garnered millions of views. “When I posted late last night before bed, it was picking up traction with a couple thousand views,” she shared. “I woke up to seven million. Now over 30 million. Overwhelmed to say the least" (The Sun). Springer thought nothing of the incident at the time, stating, "I had no idea who the couple was. Just thought I caught an interesting reaction to the kiss cam and decided to post it."
The Impact and Astronomer's Response
Following the scandal, Megan Kerrigan Byron, Byron's wife, removed her married name from her Facebook profile and deactivated her account. Rumors about the couple's divorce have circulated on social media for months, but nothing has been confirmed. Cabot filed for divorce from her husband, Andrew Cabot, on August 13th, with Andrew's spokesperson reporting that the decision to divorce "was already underway" before the Coldplay crisis (E! News).
Above: Byron's family (left) and Cabot's family (right)
After the incident, both executives were placed on leave, and Astronomer issued an official statement:
Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability.
The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional… pic.twitter.com/rfrAQ5bygy— Astronomer (@astronomerio) July 18, 2025
In this statement, the company clearly asserted that its leaders were expected to uphold high standards, implying that Byron and Cabot had not done so. "Astronomer has focused its public messaging on leadership accountability and company values, emphasizing that the resignations were in response to conduct standards not being met" (MSN). The CEO resigned on July 19, with Cabot's resignationcoming days later.
In a follow-up statement, the company acknowledged its newfound popularity and assured customers that its mission would not change:
"Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI. While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not. We're continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems."
Astronomer also embraced the humor of the situation, releasing an advertisement featuring award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow. In the ad, Paltrow, the ex-wife of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, served as the company's "temporary spokesperson." She answered common questions about Astronomer's work, expertly avoiding any discussion of the scandal. "We've been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation," she shared. This ad perfectly captured the company's self-awareness, using a famous actress associated with Coldplay to "poke fun" at the absurdity of the scandal.
Key Takeaway
Astronomer did not downplay or ignore the "Kiss Cam" scandal involving two of its executives; instead, it leveraged the unexpected publicity to reaffirm its values and commitment to data infrastructure.The company's response illustrates the importance of transparency in business and demonstrates how swift action can transform a challenging situation into an opportunity for growth. Their decisions should serve as a model for all organizations handling a PR crisis.
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