Astronomer HR boss Kristin Cabot is spotted without her wedding ring for the first time since viral Coldplay kiss-cam scandal — as she quietly resigns and her longtime shadow, Alyssa Stoddard, quietly takes her seat

Kristin Cabot, the embattled HR chief of tech firm Astronomer, has been photographed for the first time since the now-infamous kiss-cam moment that caught her in an intimate embrace with married CEO Andy Byron — and her appearance is sparking more speculation than ever.

Exclusive photos obtained by DailyMail.com show the 52-year-old former Chief People Officer alone and visibly somber as she watered her lawn outside her $2.2 million coastal home in Rye, New Hampshire — dressed down in a pink athleisure set and light jacket, hair tied in a loose bun, and notably, for the first time in public, without her wedding ring.

Cabot — once seen as a paragon of corporate discipline and high-society pedigree — is now at the center of a spiraling scandal that has upended not only her professional future but also her personal standing within the elite Boston Brahmin circle from which she hails.

Her resignation from Astronomer was confirmed Thursday, just days after her kiss-cam moment with CEO Andy Byron — also married — sent shockwaves across social media and the executive floors of America’s tech industry.

But it’s not just the missing ring that has raised eyebrows.

In a quiet internal update, Cabot’s longtime colleague and apparent protégé, Alyssa Stoddard, has officially stepped into her role, prompting renewed scrutiny over what really happened behind the scenes — and whether the scandal was just the final push in a succession plan that had been in motion all along.

Coldplay, chaos, and the kiss seen ’round the internet

The scandal first erupted at a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in Boston on July 16, when the band’s jumbotron camera panned to the crowd and lingered on a couple swaying close to the music. That couple turned out to be none other than Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot — both high-ranking executives at the same company and, crucially, both attached to other people.

While Byron nervously recoiled and Kristin appeared to whisper something to a woman standing beside them, fans around them laughed. But the damage was done. The camera lingered just long enough. And that woman beside them? Alyssa Stoddard.

Screenshots from the footage soon flooded Twitter and TikTok, with users quickly identifying the trio through LinkedIn profiles, company bios, and cross-referenced Instagram tags.

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin even commented on stage: “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very, very shy.”

The internet wasted no time.

Within hours, Byron had become a trending name on Reddit and X. Kristin’s personal photos were being dissected by amateur sleuths. And attention quickly turned to the third woman on screen — who was seen giving a hesitant smile as her two colleagues fumbled to escape the spotlight.

Ring off, position gone, and a woman quietly waiting in the wings

The first public sighting of Cabot after the scandal broke did little to quell speculation.

In photos taken outside the home she shares with her husband Andrew Cabot — heir to the $15.4 billion Cabot rum and shipping fortune — Kristin appeared alone, listless, and focused solely on tending to her flowers and shrubs.

But observers were quick to note what was no longer on her hand: the wedding ring she had proudly worn at corporate events, family photos, and the April birthday party of her stepdaughter.

Astronomer released a brief statement to TMZ confirming her resignation.

“Kristin Cabot is no longer with Astronomer. She has resigned from her role as Chief People Officer.”

Just hours later, internal systems showed a title change: Alyssa Stoddard, previously listed as Head of Talent Strategy, was now “Acting Chief People Officer.”

There was no public announcement.

No official congratulations.

Just a quiet substitution — one that many within the company say was less of a surprise, and more of a confirmation.

A history of quiet closeness

Stoddard’s promotion may have shocked the public, but Astronomer insiders say it’s been building for months — if not years.

Sources reveal that Cabot and Stoddard had worked together at two previous firms, often moving as a unit. Cabot was reportedly instrumental in bringing Stoddard into Astronomer in 2024, and had mentored her through two internal promotions in less than a year.

Cabot even celebrated her protégé’s most recent advancement in a now-deleted LinkedIn post just days before the Coldplay incident, calling her “a pillar of ethics, clarity, and grace.”

The irony was not lost on observers.

“She was praising her. Then she got caught. Now that woman has her job,” one staffer said anonymously. “You couldn’t script it better.”

The ring, the resignation, and the rumor mill

Cabot’s absence of a ring — once worn even during casual appearances — has fueled rumors that her resignation wasn’t just corporate, but personal.

Her husband, Andrew Cabot, 60, was reportedly in Asia on business when the scandal broke. He has yet to be seen at the family home in Rye. Security signage on the driveway has since increased.

While no divorce filings have been submitted in New Hampshire or Massachusetts as of press time, property records show the couple jointly owns the $2.2 million home they purchased in February — a house that now may be entangled in a quiet, high-net-worth standoff.

Kristin’s previous marriage ended in 2020 after a protracted custody and child support battle. Now, questions swirl whether she will endure another high-profile collapse — this time from within a legacy family many in New England considered bulletproof.

A screen capture that became a corporate obituary

The clip of Byron, Cabot, and Stoddard now lives in hundreds of reaction videos, memes, and YouTube breakdowns.

But what many missed — until a TikTok user with 200k followers pointed it out — was the body language of Stoddard.

“She didn’t react like someone blindsided,” the user says. “She reacted like someone who already knew how this would play out.”

What followed only added fuel: her immediate rise to the top HR role at Astronomer, within 48 hours of Cabot’s exit.

No interim tag. No outside hire.

Just a quiet replacement of a woman who had been standing in the frame the whole time.

“They didn’t just replace her. They promoted the witness.”

The phrasing came from one viral Reddit comment — and it stuck.

Because while Cabot’s moment became synonymous with scandal, Stoddard’s silence became strategic.

And now, many are questioning: Was Alyssa simply lucky… or was she quietly preparing for the fall the whole time?

A final message that said everything — and nothing

Cabot hasn’t spoken to the media.
Her LinkedIn is gone. Her Instagram deleted.

But according to close contacts, she posted a brief Instagram Story to her private circle — visible for less than 24 hours — that read:

“Some gardens bloom better when you stop pretending it’s spring.”

It disappeared the next morning.

But not before it was screenshotted, shared, and dissected.

Was it about the company? The marriage? Alyssa?

No one knows.

But everyone has a theory.

The final picture: three people on screen, one gone, one promoted

What started as an awkward kiss-cam moment at a Coldplay concert has become a full-blown corporate parable — complete with power, betrayal, silence, and succession.

Kristin Cabot took off her ring.
Then she gave up her role.

Alyssa Stoddard never said a word.
Then she sat in her chair.

And Andy Byron?

He still hasn’t spoken.

But the next time someone tells you a scandal is just about the kiss — remind them what happened next:

The quietest person on camera is now signing the policies the others violated.