Gwyneth Paltrow Reportedly Paid Millions To Clean Up Astronomer's Viral Scandal

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

After tech company Astronomer found itself at the centre of a social media firestorm, thanks to a viral Coldplay concert moment involving its then-CEO and head of HR, Hollywood's Gwyneth Paltrow stepped in to turn all the chaos into calm.

Now, her biographer Amy Odell has revealed just how handsomely she was rewarded.

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In a video posted to Instagram on July 26, Odell claimed that Paltrow was paid“in the millions” for her short-term role as Astronomer's spokesperson, following the now-infamous concert clip. For context, Odell also shared some of the Goop founder's previous brand deals: $1.6 million for appearing at the Red Sea International Film Festival, a $1.25 million Swarovski contract, and a number of other multi-million dollar endorsements over the years, including with Copper Fit.

The drama began when Astronomer's CEO Andy Byron and HR head Kristen Cabot, both married to other people, were caught together on the jumbotron during a Coldplay concert in Boston. Their attempt to duck off-screen only made the moment more meme-worthy, sparking days of online ridicule, headlines, and even commentary from celebrities.

The fallout was swift. But Astronomer didn't follow the typical PR playbook. Instead, they brought in Chris Martin's ex-wife, and in a savvy twist of celebrity-meets-crisis-management, Gwyneth Paltrow became the face of their reset.

In a video posted by Astronomer on July 25, Paltrow appears poised and playful:

“Hi, I'm Gwyneth Paltrow. I've been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300+ employees at Astronomer.” She skips over the scandal entirely and instead turns the spotlight to Astronomer's tech, calling it“the best place to run a patchy airflow, unifying the experience of running data ML and AI pipelines at scale.”

Whether the stunt was worth the steep fee is debatable, but in terms of brand visibility, it was a win. Astronomer's new CEO, Pete DeJoy, addressed the attention on LinkedIn, noting that the company has faced tough moments before and always bounced back.

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