The swirling scandal around former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron’s “kiss cam” moment at a Coldplay concert has taken another twist, as the company has officially clarified that Alyssa Stoddard, a senior executive within its People department, was not the “mystery woman” seen reacting in the viral video. The clarification aims to correct rampant misidentification and speculation that has unfortunately drawn Stoddard into the public spotlight.
The now-infamous video, captured at Gillette Stadium, showed Andy Byron and Astronomer’s Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot in an intimate embrace on the concert’s Jumbotron. Their visibly awkward reaction to being caught on camera – Byron ducking and Cabot hiding her face – quickly went viral, fueling accusations of an affair and ultimately leading to Byron’s resignation.
However, a third individual, standing beside Byron and Cabot, whose expression appeared to be one of “stunned disbelief” or an “embarrassed laugh,” became the subject of intense online speculation. Internet sleuths quickly identified this person as Alyssa Stoddard, Astronomer’s Senior Director of People (and recently promoted to VP of People by Kristin Cabot). Social media erupted with theories, with many users speculating that Stoddard was aware of, or even complicit in, an alleged secret affair between Byron and Cabot, leading to widespread criticism directed at her.
Astronomer, the company at the center of the storm, has now stepped in to definitively refute these claims. In a formal statement released on Friday, the company declared: “Alyssa Stoddard was not at the event and no other employees were in the video [apart from Byron and Cabot].”
The statement also confirmed that Andy Byron has not issued any public apology, correcting a fake statement that had been circulating under his name.
Alyssa Stoddard, whose LinkedIn profile indicates she joined Astronomer as Senior Director of People in January 2025 and was recently promoted, had found herself inadvertently thrust into the heart of a major corporate and personal scandal. Prior to Astronomer, she held various human resources leadership roles, including at Proofpoint and Observe. Her recent promotion by Kristin Cabot had been cited by online commentators as a reason for their mistaken assumption of her complicity.
The company’s clarification aims to mitigate the damage done to Stoddard’s reputation by the widespread misidentification. It underscores the challenges faced by individuals, even those tangentially connected, when a highly visible event goes viral and ignites speculative social media frenzies.
While the “ColdplayGate” saga continues to unfold with Andy Byron’s resignation and reports of his impending divorce, the official word from Astronomer offers a measure of relief for Alyssa Stoddard, separating her from the direct fallout of the “kiss cam” controversy.