Gwyneth Paltrow just made a surprise pivot into tech, and no, it’s not for Goop.
The Oscar-winning actress and wellness mogul has become the temporary spokesperson for Astronomer, the software company now embroiled in kiss cam chaos. The move comes after Astronomer’s married CEO Andy Byron and HR executive Kristin Cabot, also reportedly married, were caught in an awkward, very public moment during a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium on July 15. As Chris Martin, the band’s frontman and Paltrow’s ex-husband, commented on the pair snuggling up on the jumbotron, the internet exploded.
The aftermath? Both Byron and Cabot have since resigned from Astronomer, and the company was left scrambling to do damage control. Enter Gwyneth. In a new video shared to Astronomer’s social platforms, she sits in a bright, modern office in business casual and calmly says, “I’ve been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer.” That alone was enough to stop everyone in their scrolls.
Instead of diving into the drama, Paltrow hilariously dodges the hot questions and flips the script to highlight Astronomer’s actual business. “Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow, unifying the experience of running data, ML, and AI pipelines at scale,” she says, brushing aside the chaos with Goop-level calm. And when the second fan question starts rolling in, “How is your social media team holding…”, she deflects again to plug the company’s upcoming Beyond Analytics event in September.
The Coldplay kiss cam moment that started this all featured Byron standing behind Cabot, arms wrapped around her waist, as Martin addressed the camera feed live: “Oh, look at these two… either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” The cringe was instant. What was meant to be a crowd-pleasing moment turned into a PR nightmare.
Astronomer responded swiftly. “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met,” the company said in a statement confirming Byron’s resignation. Kristin Cabot also stepped down.
With Pete DeJoy, the company’s cofounder and Chief Product Officer, now named interim CEO, the hope is that Astronomer can move on from the scandal. Paltrow’s temporary cameo, while clearly tongue-in-cheek, is part of that effort, offering a smooth distraction and putting the spotlight back on the brand’s actual mission.
Whether she sticks around or not, one thing’s for sure: this bizarre intersection of tech scandal, concert drama, and celebrity exes is the plot twist we didn’t see coming.
Jamie Wells has a knack for getting the inside scoop on Hollywood’s biggest stars and up-and-coming talent. With a sharp eye for industry trends and an ear for viral moments, Jamie covers everything from red-carpet events to behind-the-scenes drama in movies, TV, and celebrity culture.
