Jason Mustian
There was a time when brands would steer clear of messy scandals—maybe drop a vague “we stand for integrity” post and call it a day.
Not anymore. In 2025, if you’re not ratio’ing a disgraced CEO with a meme, are you even doing brand engagement right?
When news broke that Astronomer CEO Andy Byron (“allegedly,” lol) got caught cheating via kiss cam at a Coldplay concert with head of HR Kristin Cabot, the internet immediately exploded.
Byron was then almost immediately placed on leave, resigned, and Astronomer launched an internal investigation. Meanwhile, his now-former VP liked a meme about it, his wife quietly removed his last name from her Facebook, and brands across the board decided this was their moment.
Netflix, IKEA, Chipotle, even NYC Sanitation—everyone got a dig in. Because nothing says “viral marketing” like a tech bro fumbling his entire public life to Viva la Vida.
Here are the funniest, pettiest, and most unhinged brand reactions to the Coldplay cheating CEO saga.
1. KFC got in on it in classically ‘we need legal to approve first’ style, but didn’t completely miss the moment.
2. LEGO
Ok in fairness this is from Beyond The Brick, which is the world’s biggest LEGO community.
3. The Phillies made baseball kiss cams fun again.
Phillies debut the “Coldplay Kiss Cam”.
Wait for it… pic.twitter.com/nOxfszINRE
— Jason Martinez (@JasonFox29) July 19, 2025
4. And IKEA didn’t miss the opportunity.
View this post on Instagram
5. Ryanair
Another’s Arms https://t.co/t6n5nRgCJx pic.twitter.com/FPHF4SHpBL
— brie (@hellobye1024500) July 17, 2025
6. NYC Sanitaiton
7. Atlanta Falcons
8. Stubhub
9. Frido
10. St. Louis Cardinals
11. Chipotle
12. Tide
13. Tesla
14. GlobeAir
@globeair We help you through every stage of life! Vacation is calling. ☀️ #Coldplay #Meme #ColdplayConcert #PrivateJet #GlobeAir
15. Paramount Pictures
@paramountpics They didn’t bring us here at all. #Interstellar #AvailableonDigital on #AppleTV IB: @Shai