Ryan Reynolds' marketing firm, Maximum Effort, helped Astronomer respond to its viral 'kiss cam' scandal with an unexpected twist: an ad featuring Gwyneth Paltrow as their "temporary" spokesperson. While the ad has widely been lauded as a masterclass in crisis PR, not everyone is heaping praise on it.Podcaster Andy Signore has criticized Reynolds for making light of a "serious story", labeling the campaign “tone-deaf” and even taking a personal dig at the actor himself.The scandal ignited when Astronomer’s former CEO, Andy Byron, and Chief People Officer, Kristen Cabot, were seen embracing on the Jumbotron at a Coldplay concert, despite both reportedly being married to other people. The moment went viral, leading to their resignations and casting their company in the spotlight.Rather than respond with an apology, Astronomer chose to embrace the chaos, releasing a satirical commercial featuring a "very temporary" spokesperson, Gwyneth Paltrow, ex-wife of Coldplay's lead singer, Chris Martin.The clip, produced by Ryan Reynolds’ production company, Maximum Effort, shrugged off the backlash, with Paltrow poker-faced through questions like “OMG, what the actual f***?" before shifting gears to pitch Astronomer’s services.The campaign quickly went viral, racking up millions of views and earning praise for its humor. However, Andy Signore, host of the podcast Popcorned Planet, blasted the approach as "tone-deaf".He also took a dig at Ryan Reynolds' personal life, alluding to his divorce from Scarlett Johansson and his recent lawsuit involving Justin Baldoni. He said,Look, I'm all for fun, smart brand PR marketing. I just think this was a miss. This is a really serious story. Families, kids involved. It feels very tone-deaf to me...So, when I read that Ryan Reynolds' Maximum Effort was behind it, I wasn't surprised at all because this man clearly knows how to destroy families. He's doing it right now to Justin Baldoni, did it to his own wife, Scarlett Johansson. So, of course, he's behind this witty attempt to make light at this illicit affair."Gwyneth Paltrow stars in Ryan Reynolds' Astronomer ad after Kiss Cam scandalRyan Reynolds’ agency is known for turning PR disasters into viral successes. In 2021, Maximum Effort helped Peloton recover from reputational damage when a Sex and the City character‘s death was attributed to the brand. The company's campaigns are usually characterized by a blend of irreverent humor and celebrity star power.Astronomer's interim CEO, Pete DeJoy, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Maximum Effort and Gwyneth Paltrow for their ad campaign in a post on LinkedIn on July 28, 2025."I’d also like to thank the team at Maximum Effort for their remarkable work with our very temporary spokesperson," he wrote. "As Gwyneth Paltrow said, now it's time for us to return to what we do best: delivering game-changing results for our customers. We look forward to what this next chapter holds for Astronomer."Meanwhile, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin gave a playful nod to soccer star Lionel Messi and his wife during a subsequent Kiss Cam segment on July 27, 2025, seemingly contrasting the Astronomer incident with a more wholesome moment.