Family Discussion: Coldplaygate
The following article is designed to help parents dialogue about a current event with their children. It was written at a 8th grade reading level.
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An awkward kiss cam moment at a Coldplay concert last week went megaviral… and it didn’t end well.
When the screen showed a cuddling couple, they immediately separated and hid their faces. Coldplay lead Chris Martin said, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” He was right. The moment was caught on video, and the internet quickly identified them. The man was the CEO of Astronomer, a $1.3B tech company, and the woman was Astronomer’s Chief People Officer. They’re both married (to other people).
Astronomer placed both of them on administrative leave (time off while the company figures out its plan) on Friday. Astronomer said their leaders “are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.” By Saturday, the CEO had resigned.
CHRISTIAN RESPONSE: Hidden sin is never hidden. God always sees, and—in the digital age—others often see. If you’re doing something you’d be embarrassed for others to know about, repent and leave that sin behind.
REFLECT
What do I want to make sure my kids know in light of this story?
Laughing at someone else’s sin actually celebrates what is wrong. The couple’s reaction is deeply sad when you realize they are real people whose lives have just been upended. They—and everyone who acts the same way but isn’t featured on the jumbotron—deeply hurt their loved ones and offended God. This sin has crushed their jobs, marriages, families, and personal lives. The damage will leave a permanent mark.
Loving others means we hate what is bad for them. So we don’t laugh at their onscreen shame; we mourn it. “Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6 CSB).
How can I explain balancing love and truth?
Betrayal of marriage promises is deeply wrong, and God shows radical grace to us sinners. Each one of us has dark and ugly bits we’d rather others not see. The Lord knows—even better than we ourselves know—and still gave his Son so we could be free from sin. He is the kind of God who reaches into those dark places, meeting us with compassion and calling us into the light. Jesus showed us this when he sought out a lonely adulteress, naming her sin and offering freedom from it (John 4).
When you encounter a vulnerable person at a low point in their life, don’t judge them for their mistakes. Show them the compassion you crave when you’re at your worst.
RESPOND
Offer a hand or a kind word next time you witness an embarrassing or shameful moment: an ill-timed trip, an unzipped fly, or a hidden sin uncovered.
Memorize Daniel 2:22, “He reveals the deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him” (CSB).
Pray for this couple, their families, and anyone in your life who has been hurt by adultery, that God would heal wounds and comfort them with his faithfulness.
Credit: Decaf (The Pour Over for Families). "On the Jumbotron." July 24, 2025.