From Cousins Beach To Coldplay Concert: Why Cheating Is Having A Pop Culture Moment

This week, two things broke the internet: Jeremiah Fisher's suspicious definition of a “break” in The Summer I Turned Pretty season three, and Andy Byron, a real-life CEO who thought it was a good idea to soft-launch his affair on the Love Cam at a Coldplay concert. I would say we’re living in a simulation, but even The Sims has better discretion.

Let’s start with the concert. Picture this: Gillette Stadium, thousands of Coldplay fans singing 'Fix You', and a man named Andy Byron—CEO of a company called Astronomer (you literally had one job, look at distant stars, not HR managers)—gets caught snuggling his employee Kristin Cabot on the jumbotron. In front of Chris Martin. And the world.

Coldplay's Chris Martin accidentally exposes astronomer CEO Andy Byron having an affair with his HR chief Kristin Cabot. pic.twitter.com/GMa2g0EiK3

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 17, 2025

And just when you think it couldn’t get worse, Cabot hides behind her hands like she’s in a teen Netflix rom-com and Byron ducks behind a barrier. Sir, this isn’t 'Mission Impossible', it’s just your wife watching from home in 4K.

Meanwhile, back in Cousins Beach, fictional fiancé Jeremiah is out here defending the emotional equivalent of “but I only cheated on a technicality,” Belly finds out he hooked up with someone else during a 'break,' and while Gen Z is busy making PowerPoint presentations debating whether it counts, Jenny Han diplomatically clarifies that yes, it was 'emotionally hurtful' and no, this is not 'Friends'.

taylor telling belly to get back together with jeremiah after he cheated on her TWICE? what type of friend is that #TheSummerITurnedPrettypic.twitter.com/R1d0gr0yT3

— fer TSITP SPOILERS (@feeldifficult) July 16, 2025

Which begs the question: why are men—real or fictional—suddenly pulling the same playbook of Poorly Timed, Publicly Documented Betrayal™?

In both cases, the internet did what it does best: investigative stalking followed by moral outrage with a side of memes. Byron's wife deleted her socials and dropped his last name like it was a limited edition collab. Jeremiah got ratioed on X by TSITP fans, who declared themselves 'Team Conrad till the apocalypse.'

me watching belly slap jeremiah across the face pic.twitter.com/iqsEOCufAT

— tay ౨ৎ (@oppositesabs) July 16, 2025

But here’s what’s really wild: we keep turning infidelity into fanfare. The cheating isn’t new—it’s the performance of it. Whether it’s a scripted YA love triangle or a Jumbotron at Gillette Stadium, betrayal is now entertainment. It’s not just who cheated, it’s how viral it went.

Maybe that’s the point. In an era of constant visibility, privacy is a myth, and scandal is currency. Cheating used to end in tears and divorce papers. Now it comes with trending audio, three million views, and an op-ed (hi!).

So here’s to Coldplay, for giving us the breakup anthem of a generation—and, apparently, the venue for live-streamed marital collapse. And here’s to Jenny Han, for reminding us that a 'break' isn't a get-out-of-accountability-free card.

Let’s be honest: at this point, the only faithful one left is Chris Martin.