Phillie Phanatic has fun with awkward Coldplay ‘kiss cam’ viral sensation

The Phillie Phanatic — and the Phillies organization — had fun Friday night at the expense of the man and woman who were awkwardly caught at the Coldplay concert frantically trying to avoid being seen on the “kiss cam” in videos that became a viral sensation.

During a “kiss cam” segment featuring fans at Citizens Bank Park during the Phillies home game against the Angels, the Phanatic was seen embracing a Phanatic girlfriend in a blond wig when they both notice they are on the ballpark’s main video screen and panic.

The Phillies posted on the team’s official X account: “Local CEO caught CHEATING at Phillies game?!”

Various video versions of the Phanatic bit became a combined viral moment.

As for the real man and woman at the Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, they are Andy Byron, CEO of Astronomer, a technology firm, and the company’s HR head, Kristin Cabot.

The company announced Friday night — in a statement posted after the Phanatic moment had gone viral itself — that Byron was placed on leave while the incident was being investigated internally.

Coldplay singer Chris Martin actually noticed the behavior of Byron and Cabot and stated: “Whoa, look at these two. Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”

Though some news reports stated that Byron is married to someone who is not Cabot, his marital status could not be immediately confirmed.