Fact Check: Did 'The Simpsons' predict 'Coldplaygate' with Astronomer CEO Andy Byron in 2003?

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS: The viral moment during a recent Coldplay concert in Massachusetts, which has been dubbed 'Coldplaygate', gathered global attention after Astronomer's ex CEO and her employee were seen getting intimate on the Jumbotron.

The moment led to several meme-worthy moments across the internet as several people imitated the incident.

Amid all this, a rumor circulated online claiming that 'The Simpsons' predicted 'Coldplaygate' with Astronomer's CEO Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot in 2003. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.

Claim: 'The Simpsons' predicted 'Coldplaygate' in 2003

Following the viral moment, a rumor went viral claiming that 'The Simpsons' predicted 'Coldplaygate' with Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot in 2003.

Several X users shared the rumor on the social media platforms. A user posted an Image of 'The Simpsons' characters in the same pose and captioned the post, "The Simpsons predicting the future YET AGAIN of the CEO at Coldplay situation."

Similarly, another user wrote, "So what's up with The Simpsons always getting these things right? And Coldplay really."

Moreover, another X user chimed in, "Did the Simpsons really predict the Coldplay Concert incident in a 2003 episode?? (The alleged affair or sighting of Astronomer CEO Andy Byron & Kristin Cabot)."

Several such posts were shared across X following the incident at the Coldplay concert in Massachusetts

Fact Check: False as the viral image was generated using AI

The claims made in the online rumors are false, as the Simpsons-style image was AI-generated and no such scene aired in the show back in 2003.

Furthermore, it seemed like some internet users generated a Simpson-like version of real photos using AI tools to fabricate the screenshot.

Interestingly, many other internet users also generated similar images using faces of other celebrities and used them as meme posts. The most famous one was using characters from 'The Office'.

Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigns after 'Coldplaygate'

Andy Byron, Astronomer's CEO, officially resigned following the viral incident with co-worker Kristin Cabot at a Coldplay concert that sparked internal and external backlash.

The firm confirmed his departure in a statement on Saturday, July 19, three days after Byron was placed on leave following widespread attention over a "kiss cam" moment at the Gillette Stadium show in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

The company's statement read, "Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met."

"Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI. While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not. We’re continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems," the official statement further read.

Meanwhile, Byron’s resignation was accepted by the board, and co-founder and chief product officer Pete DeJoy will continue to serve as interim CEO while the board begins its search for a permanent replacement.