NEWSGavin Rossdale Weighs in on Viral Coldplay Kiss Cam Incident: 'What a Watercooler Moment'
Gavin Rossdale called Coldplay’s viral kiss cam drama a ‘defining moment of 2025.’
July 26 2025, Published 4:36 p.m. ET
Gavin Rossdale has joined the countless fans buzzing about the Coldplay kiss cam scandal that took the internet by storm.
"What a watercooler moment, isn't it? The most defining moment of 2025," Rossdale shared. "Oh, man, that's just — wow. Bold. I think the phrase is — my Albanian girlfriend says it best — f--- around and find out. That's the aphorism there," the frontman of The Bush shared, shortly after the release of his band's new album, I Beat Loneliness.
Gavin Rossdale joked Coldplay didn’t ‘need the publicity’ from the kiss cam scandal.
While Rossdale acknowledged the incident's viral nature, he raised eyebrows about the practicality of having a kiss cam at concerts. He confirmed that Bush will not adopt such a device at their shows.
"I don't have kiss cams at my show, but I aspire to being big enough. What's he having a kiss cam for at a show anyway? Is there an interlude while he goes to put on more colorful clothes?" he joked.
Coldplay's kiss cam caught two people in an apparent affair.
"We're too busy. The thing is that with Coldplay, they just did not need the publicity. God bless them. They're doing so well. Couldn't they have done that somewhere else?"
The controversy ignited on July 16 at Coldplay's concert outside Boston when two fans became an instant sensation while caught on the kiss cam. After frontman Chris Martin jokingly suggested they might be having an affair, social media quickly identified the pair as Andy Byron, the then-CEO of tech company Astronomer, and Kristin Cabot, the company's Chief People Officer. Both Byron and Cabot are reportedly married to other people. Following the incident, Byron resigned from his position.
Coldplay's kiss cam caught ex-Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot in an apparent affair.
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In a candid moment, Rossdale shared insights about his own family dynamics. "My kids don't applaud me at all. Shocking," he revealed on May 30 while promoting Bush's latest album, Loaded: The Greatest Hits 1994-2023. "I make these great dinners..."
Rossdale currently finds happiness with his girlfriend, Xhoana Xheneti. The couple made their romance Instagram official in early 2024 after attending a wedding together late the previous year. While promoting his new music, he manages to carve out family time and travel.
Gavin Rossdale said Bush won’t be using a kiss cam at their concerts.
"Me and my family, we travel as a unit," Rossdale said, reminiscing about a recent trip to England. "And so there were 14 of us in Cornwall. I'd never been to Cornwall, which is a beautiful place in the southern tip of England, and it's a surfer's paradise. We were just in this house on the beach, just worked out perfect. You could walk to dinner. I cooked three dinners, and then the other three dinners [we] went out. We walked across the beach, across the cliffs… it was really special and it was a great time."
Although Rossdale stays close with his family, his sons don't often get pressed into listening to Bush's music. "I just want 'em to discover it. It's much better," he explained. "And then I'm their dad. I have a different job. I'm, like, the guy that makes sure they eat."
Gavin Rossdale shared his family travels 'as a unit.'
Zuma, his son with Gwen Stefani, has not held back on sharing his thoughts. While Rossdale worked on a remix of Bush's iconic song "Machinehead," Zuma listened and had a candid critique.
"I did think he'd be impressed," Rossdale recalled. "And he goes, 'You're not putting that out, are you?' I said, 'Well, I was thinking of it. Why, is there something particularly wrong with it?' He goes, '"Machinehead" is legendary. I dunno about that.' And then left the room. Destroyed me. Killed me."
