The CEO kiss cam scandal is a warning to us all — we should be praying, not laughing

The awkward reaction of an ex-CEO and his former colleague during a Coldplay concert has become the kiss-cam scandal of the century.

Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot have made headlines for cuddling during the concert. The problem? They’re purportedly married to other people, sparking an endless barrage of stories, speculation, and claims about their spouses and lives.

The story went viral almost immediately after the camera panned over to various couples in the Coldplay audience at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and then settled on the duo, who appeared to be snuggling.

The two immediately responded with shock, which included essentially hiding their faces from the jumbotron. That reaction caused critics to ponder why they were so shy, with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin even getting in on that speculation from the stage.

“Either they’re having an affair or they’re just really shy,” Martin purportedly joked, a comment that only added to the furor and conjecture surrounding the case.

Sin and all it’s costs

The public has been really lapping up the viral moment over the past week, relishing in mockery with brands and influencers even re-creating the supposed cuddling. While some of the reaction might be dismissed as mere fun, there are important considerations people – and particularly Christians – must make.

First, let’s start with one of the most heartbreaking elements of this story: there are reportedly spouses and children involved. While people are getting a good laugh and news media are utilising the moment to drive clicks and make money, real human beings are suffering.

It’s easy to forget this reality when we’re swept up into a intriguing and comical story, but the true and painful reality is that there are two families who could be torn apart by this — real people with emotions, homes and now-tattered lives.

The situation, alone, would be traumatic enough for those directly impacted, but the incessant attention and reaction create a dynamic most wouldn’t wish on their worst enemies, as their names are being tossed around in headlines and social media for the mere folly of the masses.

Beyond this travesty, though, is another painful reality with which we must contend: Sin has consequences and comes at a grave cost.

On a temporal level, Byron was reportedly forced to resign as CEO of Astronomer after the viral incident, and the fallout unfolding behind the scenes for both individuals and their families is most certainly anything but pleasant. 

Ultimately, we don’t know the details behind what was really going on with Byron or Cabot, but as speculation abounds, we must confront the reality that adultery is no laughing matter. And yet the world seems to be having a jovial time.

The true and painful reality is that there are two families who could be torn apart by this 

Beyond that, a troubling spiritual dynamic often emerges when stories like this go viral. People take the moment to laugh and chuckle without introspectively looking at their own lives. For most, our sin is concealed or limited in terms of the people who become aware of it.

Yet, for Byron or Cabot, this alleged sin has become a viral sensation, taking what might be their most embarrassing moment and catapulting it onto an international stage. Rather than a time to laugh or mock, Christians should pause to pray for these individuals and their families. 

It’s also wise for everyone to take another vital step: use the moment to conduct a gut check and self-assessment – to ponder what areas in our own lives need to be cleansed or made right.

It’s easy to divert our attention to the purported sins of others while ignoring the planks we have in our own eyes, and that’s an unfortunate reality when contending with these sorts of stories. 

Planks and specks

Sin should never be excused and the truth must be perpetuated, but Jesus also reminds us to handle our own sins before condemning and lambasting others. 

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3 reads, with verses 4-5 continuing: “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” 

Again, sin is no joking matter. The Bible explicitly details the dangers of the waywardness with which the human heart too often operates. 

“There is a way that seems right to a man,” Proverbs 14:12 contends. “But its end is the way to death.” 

And we see this again emerge in Romans 6:23, as the consequences of sin — and our great hope — are equally addressed. That scripture reads: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

Jesus is our way to salvation and eternal life. Rather than wasting our time mocking this jumbotron disaster, sharing memes and consuming endless media stories about Byron and Cabot and their lives, perhaps we should take a very different path.

Let’s pray for them and their families, assess our own lives as humans who are prone to sin and look for ways to live out Jesus’ command to love God and love others.