Coldplay Defends Jumbotron Segment CEO Scandal: ‘It’s Not…

Coldplay’s Chris Martin wants to set the record straight about the band’s now-infamous “kiss cam” jumbotron segment.

The iconic rock band performed at Craven Park in Hull, England, on Tuesday (Aug. 19) as part of its Music of the Spheres World Tour. During the show, Martin wanted to make something clear about the segment of the concert where the band greets fans through jumbotron screens onstage.

“We’re going to do something you may have seen on the internet, but I’m gonna say this once and once only. This is not, never will be, never was a ‘kiss cam,’ drives me fucking bananas,” Martin said in a video circulating online.

“We put one couple, and then you’re branded a kiss cam for the rest of your life. It’s unbelievable. This is called a jumbotron, and we’ve done this for a long, long time, and we pick people out to say, ‘Hello.’”

Martin continued, “And sometimes, they turn out to be an internationally massive scandal. Sure, but most of the time we’re just trying to say hello to some fucking people. That’s all. Now all of this is bullshit.”

Martin was referring to Kristin Cabot, the now-former head of HR at Astronomer, and the company’s former CEO, Andy Byron, who attended Coldplay’s concert together in Boston in July. The two were filmed in an embrace during the jumbotron segment before suddenly breaking away from each other.

The moment went wildly viral, and the two eventually resigned from their respective positions in light of the controversy.

“We sent pure love to those people and I wish them so well,” Martin said. “But here we are in Hull, and I’d like to say hello to some of you, so we’re gonna do our fucking kiss cam. That’s what we’re gonna do. But it’s not a kiss cam, Jesus.

“So if you’re not prepared to be on international news, please duck,” he joked.