The actress steps in to represent Astronomer after its CEO and HR executive resign over a viral Coldplay concert moment.
The Gwyneth Paltrow Coldplay kiss cam saga has taken a surprising turn, as the actress was named temporary spokesperson for Astronomer, a data tech firm rocked by a scandal involving two of its top executives.
The controversy began when Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and HR head Kristin Cabot were caught in an intimate moment on a kiss cam at a Coldplay concert on July 15. The footage, which quickly went viral, showed Byron with his arms around Cabot.
Both were reportedly married to other people. The incident sparked public backlash, prompting both executives to resign days later.
Paltrow Steps In to Calm the Storm
In a new video ad released by Astronomer, Gwyneth Paltrow appears in business casual attire seated at a desk, explaining: “I’ve been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer.”
She notes that the company has received “a lot of questions over the last few days” since the scandal broke.
Rather than addressing the controversy directly, she cleverly pivots to highlight the company’s services: “Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow, unifying the experience of running data, ML and AI pipelines at scale.”
When attempting to answer a second question — “How is your social media team holding…” — Paltrow again dodges, instead plugging the company’s upcoming Beyond Analytics event in September.
Paltrow concluded, “We will now be returning to what we do best, which is delivering game-changing results for our customers. Thank you for your interest in Astronomer.”
Resignations and Leadership Shift
Following the incident, Astronomer confirmed the resignations of both Byron and Cabot, citing a failure to uphold leadership standards. Co-founder Pete DeJoy has since been appointed interim CEO.
The incident was further amplified by the fact that Coldplay frontman Chris Martin—Paltrow’s ex-husband—was on stage during the moment. His spontaneous reaction added fuel to the viral spread, inadvertently connecting Paltrow to the narrative.
As Astronomer looks to stabilize its reputation, the company’s bold move to involve a celebrity figure in its crisis response is gaining attention for its strategic redirection and media savvy.