Coldplay scandal: Chris Martin's ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow joins Astronomer after viral kiss cam fallout

Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow has stepped in as a tongue-in-cheek “temporary spokesperson” for tech firm Astronomer, days after the company was rocked by a public scandal involving its CEO and head of HR.

The viral saga began at a Coldplay concert on 16 July, when Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and HR chief Kristin Cabot were allegedly caught on the kiss cam — only to awkwardly recoil. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, performing on stage, called them out mid-show, joking they were “having an affair.”

Martin’s comment added fuel to the fire — and an extra layer of drama — as he’s none other than Paltrow’s ex-husband and the father of her two children.

In an unexpected twist, Paltrow appeared Friday in a video posted to Astronomer's LinkedIn, donning a button-down shirt and corporate calm.

“Hi, I’m Gwyneth Paltrow. I’ve been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer,” she says, before launching into a deliberately over-polished brand pitch.“Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow… Yes, there’s still room available at our Beyond Analytics event in September.”

The video pokes fun at the media storm while subtly refocusing attention on Astronomer’s AI and data tools. It closes with:

“We will now be returning to what we do best — delivering game-changing results for our customers.”

The now-infamous concert clip led to the resignations of both Byron and Cabot, whose relationship reportedly crossed company policy lines. The moment trended across platforms and was spoofed on late-night shows.

Paltrow’s cameo — a PR pivot that blends celebrity, satire, and crisis management — appears to have given Astronomer a fresh wave of visibility, even if not in the way they expected.