Gwyneth Paltrow is Astronomer's ‘temporary spokesperson' in new video

Washington Post

5 days ago

There's a lot of buzz around Astronomer, the data infrastructure company that skyrocketed into public attention after its executives — now former executives — gave us the viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' moment.
With all this recent popularity, the business brought on some extra help, hiring a 'temporary spokesperson' with experience in Coldplay internet fame: Gwyneth Paltrow.
'I've been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300+ employees at Astronomer,' the actress said in the minute-long video posted to social media Friday. 'Astronomer has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days, and they wanted me to answer the most common ones.'
The Goop chief executive happens to be the ex-wife of Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin and co-author of the original 'break-the-internet' breakup statement when the pair announced their 'conscious uncoupling' in 2014.
If you're searching for answers to the company's real frequently-asked questions, you won't find them in the tongue-in-cheek clip. The questions 'OMG! What the actual f' and 'How is your social media team holding' get comically cut off by Paltrow as she explained the much less juicy details of Astronomer's business.
'We've been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation,' Paltrow said.
Astronomer's chief executive Andy Byron and human resources chief Kristin Cabot both resigned after they were filmed cuddling at a Coldplay concert in Boston earlier this month. They appeared on the arena video board in a 'kiss cam' segment before looking uncomfortable, with Cabot turning around and Byron ducking out of sight as Martin quipped from the stage that the two might be having an affair.
Mark Borkowski, a British public relations and crisis consultant, described using Paltrow to front a video parodying the incident as 'utter genius' that shows the company has a sense of humor.
'It's a savvy use of media to create a viral moment,' he told The Washington Post in a phone interview Saturday. 'In a way you're laughing with everybody else.'
Astronomer choosing Paltrow will not go unnoticed, Borkowski said.
'Astronomer is a meme now. Owning the ridiculous nature of how it became a meme is far better than apologizing for it.' A representative for Paltrow didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
As for how he advises clients caught in such situations, Borkowski said acting in a dignified way and 'using as few words as possible' is always the best approach.
Paltrow's cameo is reminiscent of the scared Peloton wife discourse from 2019. After actress Monica Ruiz's worry-stricken expression in a Peloton holiday commercial became the butt of internet jokes, she laughed it off, later using her horrified face for an Aviation Gin ad.
'We will now be returning to what we do best: delivering game-changing results for our customers,' Paltrow closed out the ad. 'Thank you for your interest in Astronomer.'
Tatum Hunter contributed to this report.