Kiss cam incident at Coldplay concert highlights the technology’s awkward history

The Internet has gone into spasm over the past couple of days over an incident on Wednesday involving a couple caught cuddling on the Jumbotron at a Coldplay concert at Gillette stadium in Foxborough near Boston. Instead of leaning into their embrace when they realized they were on camera, the man and woman abruptly pulled apart. She turned her back on the camera. He ducked. The couple’s embarrassment was compounded by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin’s comment from the stage: “Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy.”

The kiss cam clip went viral on social media, gaining millions of hits on X, TikTok, and Instagram. Sleuths soon identified the couple: He’s Andy Byron, the married CEO of New York-based software development company Astronomer; she’s Kristin Cabot, the company’s head of human resources.

Astronomer announced Friday it had put Byron on leave, replacing him with chief product officer Peter DeJoy. “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,” said the company in a statement on X, adding that its board of directors has initiated a formal investigation into the matter.

On Saturday, Byron resigned, according to a statement from Astronomer.

Meanwhile, the Internet became awash with responses, including fake statements from Byron and Coldplay, as well as countless memes such as one likening the couple to Muppets Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy.

There have been IRL responses too. The Philadelphia Phillies made fun of the faux pas by screening a video during Friday night’s game on its Jumbotron of its fuzzy green mascot Phillie Phanatic in an embrace with a fuzzy green companion. People can even buy commemorative merch, such as a sweatshirt bearing the slogan – in caps – “I TOOK MY SIDEPIECE TO THE COLDPLAY CONCERT AND IT RUINED MY LIFE.”

Kiss cams: a mostly awkward history

The origins of Kiss cams are unclear. They likely originated in the 1980s with the advent of big video boards being installed at stadiums in California as a way to fill in the gaps in play in professional baseball games. They often elicit delight, such as when former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn shared a romantic moment before the cheering crowd at an Atlanta Braves game in 2015.

But it’s also true to say the wandering camera has also been the cause of scandal.

A major source of kiss cam controversy has been over the tendency of cams to focus on straight couples, as well as to demean or attack same-sex embraces.

In 2010, for example, the kiss cam at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, the former home of the St. Louis Rams, showed a kiss between two men wearing Arizona Cardinals jerseys, in an apparent homophobic jibe against the rival team.

And in 2015, the New York Mets changed their kiss cam policy after being criticized for promoting homophobia by rallying the crowd to make fun of two men appearing on the cam together.

More often though, kiss cam footage isn’t so much scandalous as awkward.

Take the time in 2012, when former president Barack Obama initially failed to respond to the cam while attending a men’s USA National Team vs. Brazil basketball game with his wife Michelle.

“As the crowd urged the couple to kiss, the president held his arm around the first lady and smiled, but didn’t kiss, prompting a wave of boos from the crowd,” reported CNN. “But fans didn’t leave entirely disappointed. Not long after the couple shied away from a PDA, reporters were brought back into the arena to watch as Obama and his wife re-appeared on the kiss cam, this time with the president going in for the smooch.”

Some celebrity couples prefer to avoid kiss cams altogether. Prince William shared this view with the BBC in 2012 while attending the Olympics in London with his wife Kate Middleton. “I was absolutely dreading they were going to come and show myself and my wife,” he said. “That would have been very embarrassing.”