Megan Kerrigan’s DNA Lab Visits in June Fuel Paternity Suspicions in #ColdplayGate Scandal
The scandal that erupted at a Coldplay concert on July 16, 2025, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, has taken a shocking new turn with insider claims about Megan Kerrigan’s actions prior to the viral “Kiss Cam” moment. The footage of Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot in an intimate embrace has already dismantled their careers and marriages, but new allegations suggest Megan Kerrigan visited a DNA lab twice in June 2025, raising suspicions about the paternity of Cabot’s child. Combined with revelations from Cabot’s ex-husband, Kenneth Thornby, and a cryptic vet post, this development has deepened the #ColdplayGate saga, sparking intense speculation about trust, betrayal, and hidden truths. This article explores the DNA lab visits, the paternity rumors, and their implications for privacy and corporate accountability.
The Coldplay Kiss Cam and Escalating Fallout
The controversy began when Coldplay’s Kiss Cam captured Andy Byron, 50, with his arms around Kristin Cabot, 52, during a performance. Their flustered reaction—Byron ducking out of view and Cabot covering her face—prompted frontman Chris Martin to quip, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” The clip, filmed by concertgoer Grace Springer, went viral, amassing over 50 million views on TikTok and X. The fallout was swift: Byron, married to educator Megan Kerrigan, resigned as CEO of Astronomer, a $1.3 billion data infrastructure startup, on July 19, with co-founder Pete DeJoy named interim CEO. Cabot, married to Privateer Rum CEO Andrew Cabot, remains on leave, with a leaked, unsent resignation letter indicating she considered stepping down.
A leaked three-minute video of Byron and Cabot kissing in a private suite, timestamped at 9:12 PM EDT, coincided with Megan’s now-deleted 11th anniversary post, intensifying the narrative of betrayal. Megan’s court filing, alleging 21 visits by Cabot to their Northborough home, and the revelation that their dogs share a vet—Carp Road Animal Hospital, which posted, “Some secrets have four legs but two hearts”—added layers of intrigue. Kenneth Thornby’s claim that Cabot brought Byron to their daughter’s recitals and that he found a compromising photo in her cloud storage suggested a long-term affair. Now, insider claims about Megan’s DNA lab visits have pushed the scandal into a new realm of personal and legal complexity.
Megan Kerrigan’s DNA Lab Visits and Paternity Suspicions
On July 22, 2025, an anonymous source close to Astronomer told TMZ that Megan Kerrigan visited a DNA testing facility, identified as DNA Labs International in Massachusetts, twice in June 2025—weeks before the Coldplay concert. The source claims Megan sought paternity tests, driven by suspicions about the paternity of Kristin Cabot’s child, a daughter from her marriage to Kenneth Thornby. The child, estimated to be 10–12 years old based on Thornby’s divorce filing, was reportedly a point of contention, with Megan allegedly believing Andy Byron could be the biological father. The insider stated, “Megan had doubts for months. She thought Kristin’s visits to their home were too frequent, and something about the kid didn’t add up.”
These claims remain unverified, but they align with Megan’s court filing, which mentioned a June 2025 visit by Cabot that “changed everything.” X users have speculated that Megan’s suspicions may have been triggered by physical similarities between Cabot’s daughter and Byron’s sons, or by interactions during Cabot’s alleged 21 visits to the Byron home. The shared vet connection—Cabot’s golden retriever, Luna, and Kerrigan’s labrador, Max, registered at Carp Road Animal Hospital—suggests Megan may have encountered Cabot’s daughter at pet-related events, further fueling her doubts. One X post (@TruthSeeker25) read, “Megan going to a DNA lab in June? She knew something was up with Kristin’s kid. This is bigger than Coldplay.”
DNA Labs International, known for its work in forensic and paternity testing, has not commented, citing client confidentiality. However, legal experts note that paternity tests require samples from the alleged father, child, and sometimes the mother, raising questions about how Megan obtained samples. Speculation on Reddit suggests she may have used items from Cabot’s visits, such as a hairbrush or glass, though this would raise ethical and legal concerns about consent. The Atlantic reports that consumer DNA tests, like 23andMe, have led to paternity surprises, but legal paternity tests require strict chain-of-custody protocols to be admissible in court.
Kenneth Thornby’s Revelations and the Timeline
Kenneth Thornby’s July 22 statement to The Daily Mail—that Cabot brought Byron to their daughter’s recitals and that he found a compromising photo in her cloud in 2023—lends credence to the idea of a long-term affair. Thornby’s claim that Byron attended recitals as early as 2022 suggests the relationship predates Cabot’s 2024 hiring at Astronomer. If Megan’s suspicions about the paternity of Cabot’s daughter are true, the timeline could align with Thornby’s divorce filing in 2018, finalized in 2022, when their daughter was younger. X users have theorized that Megan’s June 2025 lab visits were an attempt to confirm whether Byron fathered the child during Cabot’s first marriage, a claim that could have profound legal and emotional consequences.
Thornby’s discovery of the cloud photo, described as showing Byron and Cabot in an intimate embrace, adds weight to Megan’s suspicions. His statement that he initially thought Byron was just “supportive” at recitals mirrors Megan’s possible naivety about Cabot’s frequent home visits. The overlap of these narratives—recitals, home visits, and now a shared vet—paints a picture of a deeply entangled relationship that crossed personal boundaries long before the Kiss Cam exposure.
Megan Kerrigan’s Response and Public Support
Megan Kerrigan, 50, an Associate Director at Bancroft School in Worcester, Massachusetts, has become a focal point of public sympathy. After removing “Byron” from her Facebook profile and deactivating her account, she resurfaced under “Megan Kerrigan,” gaining over 8,000 followers. Her alleged statement, shared on July 20, read: “The betrayal was painful… but the public humiliation? That cut deeper.” The DNA lab visits suggest Megan was proactive in addressing her suspicions, possibly driven by the June 2025 visit mentioned in her court filing. X users have praised her as a “class act,” with one post (@MeganFan22) stating, “Megan going to a DNA lab shows she wasn’t blind—she was gathering evidence. Respect.”
Megan’s actions indicate a calculated response to the scandal. Her filing, alleging 21 home visits by Cabot, and the DNA lab visits suggest she suspected the affair and its potential consequences long before the concert. Legal experts estimate she could claim $10–35 million in a divorce settlement, given Byron’s estimated net worth and Massachusetts’ 50/50 marital laws. Her focus on protecting her two sons, whose privacy she has fiercely guarded, has further endeared her to the public.
Kristin Cabot and Andrew Cabot’s Silence
Kristin Cabot, who joined Astronomer in November 2024, has not addressed the DNA lab allegations or Thornby’s claims. Her marriage to Andrew Cabot, with whom she owns a $2.2 million home in Rye, New Hampshire, is under strain, with X users speculating about his reaction to the paternity rumors. Cabot’s advisory role at Privateer Rum and her elite social connections have been scrutinized, with some suggesting her wealth may cushion professional fallout. However, her role as Chief People Officer, tasked with upholding workplace ethics, is increasingly untenable, especially after the unsent resignation letter leak.
Astronomer’s Crisis and Ethical Questions
Astronomer’s leadership crisis deepens with each revelation. The company’s LinkedIn statement emphasized “values and culture,” but its silence on Cabot’s status has drawn criticism. The DNA lab visits, if confirmed, suggest a workplace affair with far-reaching implications, potentially involving child paternity and corporate misconduct. Former employees on Reddit have called Byron a “toxic boss,” alleging the affair was an “open secret,” though unverified. The vet’s post and Thornby’s statement amplify questions about whether Astronomer’s culture enabled such behavior.
The DNA lab visits also raise ethical concerns about privacy and consent. If Megan obtained samples without permission, her actions could face legal challenges, though her emotional distress might mitigate public judgment. The Atlantic notes that DNA testing has uncovered family secrets, often with devastating consequences, and this case highlights the risks of consumer-driven investigations.
The Viral Spiral and Public Fascination
The #ColdplayGate scandal, with over 15 million Google searches for “Andy Byron” and “Kristin Cabot,” continues to dominate online discourse. The DNA lab visits have inspired new hashtags like #DNAGate, with memes depicting DNA swabs and cloud storage as scandal catalysts. A fake Coldplay post about “sidepiece seating” and AI-generated spoofs of Byron apologizing keep the story alive. The vet’s cryptic post and Thornby’s recital claims have been eclipsed by the paternity angle, with X users speculating about a potential lawsuit if Byron is confirmed as the father.
A Scandal of Trust and Truth
Megan Kerrigan’s alleged DNA lab visits in June 2025, driven by suspicions about Kristin Cabot’s child, have transformed #ColdplayGate into a complex tale of personal and professional betrayal. The overlap of recitals, home visits, a shared vet, and now paternity tests suggests a web of deception that predates the Kiss Cam. As Megan garners public support, Cabot faces scrutiny, and Astronomer grapples with its reputation, the scandal underscores the power of digital evidence—cloud photos, viral videos, and DNA results—to unravel lives. In an era where secrets are exposed in real-time, the question of paternity may be the final twist in a saga that began under stadium lights but now threatens to rewrite family legacies.
