Coldplay kiss cam's Kristin Cabot is teaching crisis PR—for $875 a seat

Dubai: Remember the Coldplay kiss cam incident that broke the internet last summer? The woman at the centre of it all is now cashing in.

Kristin Cabot will be the keynote speaker at a crisis PR conference in Washington, D.C. this April. Tickets to hear her speak cost between $750 and $875.

She's turning her nightmare into a masterclass on damage control.

The scandal that started it all

Last summer, Cabot attended a Coldplay concert. The kiss cam landed on her and Andy Byron, the CEO of Astronomer, the company where she worked as chief people officer.

The two were caught on camera getting cosy. The footage went viral almost immediately.

The internet did what the internet does best: it made assumptions and launched attacks. Cabot was immediately labelled a homewrecker. Death threats poured in.

But the mob didn't know that Cabot was separated from her spouse at the time. But online outrage doesn't wait for context.

She resigned from her job shortly after the incident exploded across social media.

The aftermath

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Cabot opened up about the toll the scandal took. She blamed alcohol for her behaviour at the concert.

But the real damage came after the cameras stopped rolling. Paparazzi stalked her. She received 500 to 600 calls daily. Dozens of death threats arrived in her inbox.

"Cabot experienced firsthand the extremity of public shaming that women have long experienced when in the negative spotlight of the media, one their male counterparts often seem to avoid," the conference website states.

It's a fair point. Andy Byron, her boss and the other person in the video, faced far less scrutiny.

From scandal to speaker

Now Cabot is sharing her story at PRWeek's Crisis Comms Conference. She'll appear alongside PR professional Dini von Mueffling for a 30-minute discussion titled "Kristin Cabot: Taking Back the Narrative."

Von Mueffling is described as an "industry legend" who helped Cabot navigate the crisis. Together, they'll reveal the strategy they used to help Cabot regain control of her story.

The session promises to teach attendees how to "pivot at a moment's notice for unexpected occurrences that are now the norm, not the exception."

In other words: how to handle it when your life implodes online and millions of strangers decide they hate you.

Is it worth it?

For PR professionals and corporate communications teams, $875 might be a worthwhile investment. Cabot's story offers real-world lessons on:

• How quickly a personal moment can become a global scandal.

• The gendered nature of public shaming.

• Strategies for regaining control of your narrative.

• Managing extreme harassment and threats.

• Rebuilding reputation after massive public backlash.

These aren't theoretical case studies. This is someone who lived through the worst-case scenario and came out the other side.

Cabot is 'taking back the narrative,' as the session title promises.

What's undeniable is that she went through something genuinely awful. The internet can be cruel, especially to women. The double standards are real.

If sharing her story helps others navigate similar crises whilst also helping her move forward financially and professionally, perhaps that's a win.

This is taking place in April in Washington, D.C. For $875.

Areeba Hashmi is a trainee at Gulf News.