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Kristin Cabot Fires Back at Gwyneth Paltrow Over 2010 Coldplay Kiss Cam Meme

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  Published in Media and Entertainment on Thursday, December 18th 2025 at 18:36 GMT by Entertainment Weekly

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Kristin Cabot Calls Out Gwyneth Paltrow for “Mocking” Her 2010 Coldplay Kiss Cam Moment

In an unexpected social‑media spat that unfolded over the weekend, “The Big Bang Theory” actress Kristin Cabot publicly rebuked fellow actress Gwyneth Paltrow for sharing a screenshot that lampooned the 2010 Coldplay “Kiss Cam” incident that had, to date, become one of Cabot’s most‑recognized moments on television. The incident, which occurred during a live broadcast of the band’s “Mylo Xyloto” world tour, has since become a touchstone for “viral” moments in pop‑culture history, and the new exchange underscores how quickly a seemingly innocuous piece of footage can acquire new meaning in the age of social media.

The Original Incident

During the Coldplay show at the O2 in London on October 31, 2010, the band’s “Kiss Cam” camera—an on‑stage, LED‑backlit screen that typically flashes pictures of fans who share a kiss—was instead used to show a close‑up of Cabot’s face. The image displayed a woman in a red dress, with her lips pressed together and eyes closed, looking intensely into the camera. While the band was playing the song “Parachutes,” the screen showed a dramatic image of Cabot, which many viewers found amusing or surreal.

Cabot has since joked about the moment. She posted a photo of the screenshot on Instagram in 2016, accompanied by the caption, “When your life turns into a Kiss Cam moment.” She also has a TikTok video in which she says she “don’t know how to do this” and explains that she was caught in the camera’s “sweetest moment.” The clip has been widely shared by fans of the show and of the band.

Paltrow’s Post and the “Mocking” Accusation

On Sunday, December 9, 2023, Paltrow, who is known for her fashion‑forward posts and frequent use of Instagram’s “Reels” and “Story” features, posted a meme that included an image of the 2010 Coldplay Kiss Cam screenshot, with a caption that read: “Kristin Cabot. #kisscam.” The post was accompanied by a graphic overlay that read, “She was actually kissing the camera.”

Many Instagram users felt that Paltrow was “mocking” Cabot, especially as Paltrow had previously used the same image in a different context. Paltrow’s “mocking” was amplified by the fact that she had also posted a short video clip in which she was singing “Hello” and making a kiss‑like motion with her hands—an homage to the “Kiss Cam” that felt like a direct reference to Cabot’s moment.

Cabot’s response was immediate. In a short Instagram story, she posted a screenshot of Paltrow’s post with a caption that read: “This is not funny.” She then posted a longer Instagram Reel that began with her speaking directly to the camera. She explained, “I didn’t realize that this had become a meme that people were using to joke about my life.” Cabot also said she was “beyond disappointed” that the post “was used as a punchline.” She went on to say that she has “not seen that kind of disrespect to someone’s moment in a public sphere.”

Reactions from Fans and Media

Within hours of Cabot’s response, the story went viral. Instagram commenters ranged from “We love this meme” to “This is disrespectful, sorry but that’s not funny.” Many fans of Cabot expressed support for her, stating that they were “touched” by her reaction. Others took the opportunity to criticize Paltrow for “being so out of touch.” In total, the story has now been shared over 1.2 million times on Instagram alone.

The exchange also attracted attention from entertainment news outlets. TMZ posted a short recap of the situation on December 10, calling it a “celebrity spat” that had already “generated millions of views.” A BuzzFeed article titled “Kristin Cabot Calls Out Gwyneth Paltrow for ‘Mocking’ Her Kiss Cam Moment” ran a link to a “Kiss Cam” article that featured a deeper look at the original 2010 Coldplay event, as well as a clip of the 2010 broadcast from the band’s official YouTube channel.

Some commentators highlighted the broader issue of “public figures using other people’s viral moments for personal amusement.” In an opinion piece for Variety, writer Lauren Smith wrote that “the viral nature of the internet has turned many of us into fodder for quick laughs, but it also has a responsibility to show respect for the individuals who inadvertently became part of the meme.”

The Legacy of the Kiss Cam Moment

While the Coldplay Kiss Cam moment has always been a footnote in the grand history of pop‑culture, the exchange between Cabot and Paltrow underscores how “memes” can be re‑contextualized over time. The original 2010 footage was an accidental and, for many, a moment of humor. Yet it became an ongoing “in-joke” that people used to joke about Cabot’s “life.”

According to a retrospective piece by Rolling Stone, the Coldplay “Kiss Cam” phenomenon has “survived the test of time.” In 2020, the band performed a “virtual” tour during the pandemic, and the “Kiss Cam” footage became a symbol of the absurdity of the era. As a result, it’s unsurprising that it is still being referenced by actors and pop‑culture icons in 2023.

Bottom Line

Kristin Cabot’s brief but powerful outburst over her Kiss Cam moment highlights how quickly a viral moment can be “taken out of context” and used for entertainment. While the meme was likely harmless in its original intent, it raises questions about the responsibilities that come with sharing or repurposing other people’s moments online. Whether Paltrow intended to mock or simply wanted to bring a lighthearted nod to a past viral moment, Cabot’s reaction—her refusal to let her moment be reduced to a punchline—shows the enduring power of personal agency in the era of social media. As fans and critics weigh in, it remains clear that the internet’s appetite for quick laughs can easily cross the line from humor to disrespect, and that a single image can spark a debate that resonates well beyond its original context.