One kiss, millions of clicks, 60 death threats Now the woman in the Kiss cam affair breaks her silence
A Kiss cam kiss was followed by hate and threats: After the scandal surrounding the viral video of a woman and her boss at a concert, the woman concerned has now spoken out for the first time about the difficult time afterwards.
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- A woman and her boss were caught kissing by an auditorium camera at a Coldplay concert in the summer.
- The video of the so-called kiss cam went viral online and continues to have an impact on the woman's life to this day.
- In an interview, the 53-year-old has now spoken out for the first time about the hate messages and death threats she received after the scandal.
A kiss that threatens to destroy careers and lives: In July 2025, US manager Kristin Cabot was shown on the stadium screen at a Coldplay concert - kissing and hugging her then boss, the CEO of a tech company. A TikTok video of the so-called kiss cam went viral and reached around 100 million views within a few days. The ensuing shitstorm continues to have an impact to this day.
In a first interview, the 53-year-old has now reported on how she has been subjected to hate and death threats ever since. For many days after the incident, she did not leave her room, Cabot told the New York Times.
Some death threats very detailed
In online comments, she was insulted as a "slut" or "adulteress" who was only after her boss's money. Her appearance was also analyzed in detail, the mother of two teenagers said. Even certain parts of her body were assessed and deemed not pretty enough.
Cabot had at times received hundreds of calls a day and, according to her own account, "50 or 60" death threats. Paparazzi lurked outside her house and strangers insulted her in everyday life. The effect on her two teenage children, who at times feared that their mother could be killed, was particularly stressful.
She was able to ignore most death threats; it was only difficult when it was clear that the author of the letter was betraying the fact that he knew her habits. "I know you shop at Market Basket and I will find you," someone wrote.
"That's the price I paid"
According to her, the kiss, which was clicked millions of times on TikTok, was the first and last between her and her then boss Andy Byron. It was preceded by a few tequila cocktails and Cabot was Chief People Officer at the time, i.e. the company's top HR manager. In her private life, she was already living separately from her second husband and negotiating a divorce.
Looking back, Cabot describes the evening as a personal mistake, not an affair: "I made a mistake. And I gave up my career for it. That's the price I paid," she is quoted as saying by the NYT. At the same time, she clarifies: "You are allowed to make mistakes. But you don't have to be threatened with death for it."
Complete withdrawal after the incident
The video, taken at a concert by British rock group Coldplay near Boston, shows the moment when the couple recognize themselves on the screen in the hall. The woman puts her hands to her face and turns away, the man crouches down and hides. Both managers then quit their jobs.
After the incident, she initially withdrew completely to look after her children, her family and her job, said Cabot. She only felt safe indoors and often did not know how to look after her children. Only months later did some normality slowly return: therapeutic help for the children, sport, small steps into the public eye.
Now she decided to speak publicly for the first time because silence was no longer acceptable to her.
Many personal attacks from women
A key question for Cabot is why the video made such an impact. Media researcher Brooke Duffy from Cornell University categorizes the case in the New York Times as a modern ritual of public shaming. Scandals involving women are used to make moral judgments. Although the man was also criticized, says Duffy, the focus of the criticism was on her.
Cabot has found the silence of friends and colleagues particularly painful: "When people turn their backs on me because of this, it's much worse than someone shouting at me at the petrol station". She also finds it striking that many of the personal attacks have come from women: "What I've seen in the last few months makes it hard for me to believe that it's only the men who are holding us back."
She still wonders today: "Can't we stop for a moment and ask whether there might be another version of this story? This has gotten completely out of hand."
