We Just Lived Through Internet History
I genuinely think we’ve just witnessed a piece of modern internet history. Yes, I’m talking about that Coldplay affair. Hard to believe it only happened last week, because it’s been everywhere. Safe to say it's probably the most unexpected pop culture of the year, definitely not on my bingo card.
If you’ve been on a digital detox or hiding under a rock, here’s the TL;DR:
Chris Martin starts freestyling songs about the crowd, with a kiss-cam-style setup showing couples on the big screen.
One couple pops up looking... HORRIFIED. He ducks out of shot, she bolts in the opposite direction.
Chris being Chris, jokes “either they're having an affair, or they’re just very shy,” and keeps the show rolling.
A fan clips the moment. It hits the internet. Boom — 60 million views and counting.
And then, naturally, the TikTok sleuths got to work. Within hours, they’d cracked the case. The man in question was the CEO of a company called Astromer, who is very much married, was caught red handed having an affair with his head of HR. Big yikes. Cue the internet’s collective gasp.
Celebrity scandals are nothing new, shoutout Brad, Jen, and Angelina, but this one hit different. Let’s be real, no one knew what Astronomer was last week, let alone who Andy Byron or Kristin Cabot were. But as soon as that video surfaced, we were hooked. It was pure internet magic: total chance, juicy movie-worthy storyline, and an ending no one saw coming. Why did it go so viral? Easy. We’re nosy, and algorithms love drama.
As a 2001 baby, I was raised on scandal culture. Every week, some influencer was “exposed” and forced into a tearful Notes App apology. Honestly, it’s part of what made me want to be a PR girlie. Some apologies are great (I really how Brooke Schofield handled the recent allegations about her fiancee). Others? Total trainwrecks. Yep, I’m thinking about the Toxic Gossip Train.
So where does Andy’s apology land? In my opinion, firmly towards the “yikes” end of the scale. He did the expected: apologised to his wife, family, and team. Took accountability. Asked for privacy. Fine. But then he blamed Coldplay for making his life a “spectacle” against his consent. And to top it all off, in true Gavin and Stacey style he ended his quote with Fix You lyrics. Yes, you heard that correctly - Fix You lyrics.
Of course, Gen Z being Gen Z, the memes dropped instantly. The apology was everywhere, I genuinely thought it was fake when I first saw it. It made me wonder who on earth approved that statement? Surely anyone remotely fluent in internet culture would’ve flagged those lyrics as a terrible idea.
What happened next? The brands rolled in of course! RyanAir, Nando’s and StubHub all jumped on the chaos, using the moment to trendjack the drama. And honestly? It worked. Because in 2025, people don’t follow brands for product updates. They follow them for chaos. For cheek. For being in on the joke. Being reactive like this can be risky, especially when someone’s marriage is imploding, but when it hits, it hits. But if you're chasing engagement, speed definitely works. In a world where brands like RyanAir are already firing off tweets before the dust even settles, you can’t afford to hesitate. Wait too long and you’re not part of the moment. You’re just copying it. RyanAir nails it because they often define the moment, not follow it.
And plot twist of the year? The CEO’s daughter, Marina, used the scandal to soft-launch her influencing career. She reached 6.7 million likes across five videos on TikTok and bagged a brand deal with Triip before setting her profile to private.
You might be wondering where this leaves Coldplay? Totally untarnished. They even leaned into the moment, giving a cheeky little disclaimer before the kiss-cam at their next gig. Round of applause for the PR team please!
So, what can we learn from this scandal? The internet always has done, and always will love drama. This is a perfect case study of just that. For brands wanting to spark conversation online and reach younger audiences, consider creating reactive content poking fun at viral situations like this. But you must act quickly otherwise it can have the opposite impact. And finally, if you’re having an affair… don’t go to a coldplay concert together.
