Another day, another hoax doing the rounds off the back of the viral clip of Andy Byron, former CEO of Astronomer, and HR specialist, Kristin Cabot, who were caught on Kiss Cam at a Coldplay concert.
Now, social media has been amplifying a couple of different ‘statements’ issued by Byron’s wife, Megan Kerrigan Byron, about how she’s going to leave him, how she’s “not crying for clowns” and is getting ready to cash in on the divorce.
One such statement, shared by Mel Schilling, the dating and relationships coach from Married At First Sight, sees ‘Megan’ state that she’s not interested in engaging in “performing forgiveness, nor am I interested in the optics of ‘grace’ […] What Andy has done is not just humiliating – it is banal. Common.”
Schilling appeared to applaud Megan for her bravery and offered her followers some sage advice around cheating and heartbreak, writing: “Let’s be clear: heartbreak doesn’t always look like tears. It can look like strategy, strength, and sharp wit wrapped in a silk glove.
“To anyone navigating betrayal, you don’t owe anyone a ‘graceful’ performance. You owe yourself truth, dignity, and forward momentum.”
Another video of ‘Megan’ giving a ‘statement’ has been debunked by Snopes, a fact-checking site. It has been viewed more than 8 million times on TikTok and sees a woman crying into the camera as she talks about the devastation caused.
“I always believed that my marriage with Andy Byron was built on trust, respect and pure love,” says the woman in the video, who some have commented could be AI-generated. “Every time he told me there was something important at work and he couldn’t make it home on time, I believed him. But it turns out that during those times he was with another woman.”
All of which is a good reminder to only believe what you see or read when it comes from a verified and credible source, people! Especially as a similarly fake statement from Byron himself also gained traction recently.
Elsewhere, Byron’s former company, Astronomer, told Cosmopolitan UK directly that the ex-CEO had handed in his resignation following the viral clip.
“Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted. The Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO,” a spokesperson said.
“Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI. While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not.”
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK’s multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She’s grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
