Central Park lawyers kiss video puts public filming back on trial

The central park lawyers kiss video that rocketed across TikTok began as a few seconds of two people kissing near Central Park West and West 63rd Street, then turned into a public argument about privacy, workplace gossip and internet sleuthing.

TikTok creator Jay Guapõ, who has 3.5 million followers, posted the clip on July 23. In the video, Guapõ walks toward the pair while recording and says, “Get a room. There's kids around.”

The clip drew more than 2 million views in its first several days, according to Mashable. As it spread, commenters tried to identify the couple, picked apart their reactions and speculated about why they appeared uneasy on camera.

Who are the Central Park lawyers in the kiss video?

By July 25, social media users and the New York Post had identified the people in the clip as Nathaniel Cullerton, 45, and Kelsey Borenzweig, 29, attorneys at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

Wachtell’s website lists Cullerton as a partner in the firm’s litigation department and Borenzweig as an associate in the same department. Neither has publicly confirmed the nature of their relationship, and the footage does not prove that either person was having an affair.

The Daily Mail initially reported that Cullerton was married and that Borenzweig had recently been in a relationship. The outlet later cited a source who said Borenzweig and her reported partner had separated.

That did not stop viewers from making the clip part of a familiar online pattern: a short public recording, a rush to identify the people in it, then a courtroom of strangers delivering verdicts with limited facts.

Why did the Central Park kiss video start a privacy debate?

Some commenters focused on the possible workplace and relationship drama. Others questioned why two people kissing outdoors had been turned into entertainment for millions.

One TikTok user called the recording “creepy” and said it was not an episode of “Cheaters.” Another argued that it was wrong to film strangers “just living their lives outside,” regardless of whether they were lawyers, co-workers or cheating.

Other viewers defended the recording, with one commenter arguing that people kissing in public should expect to be seen. Another wrote that people have a right to record in public.

The debate landed soon after another public-camera scandal. In July 2025, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the company’s chief people officer, Kristin Cabot, were shown embracing on a stadium screen during a Coldplay concert. Footage of their reaction spread widely, viewers identified them, and both later resigned from Astronomer. Cabot later filed for divorce, though she has said she and her husband were already separated at the time of the concert.

The Central Park clip also arrived amid broader concern over creators filming strangers for social media, including street interviews, pranks, pickup attempts and videos shot with smart glasses. Critics say people who appear in those clips often do not know they are being recorded or how the footage will be framed online.

The same week the Central Park video went viral, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said the platform would remove smart-glasses videos that show people being harassed or taken advantage of, according to Business Insider. Instagram also deactivated two pickup artist accounts that used smart glasses to film women in public and had more than 1 million followers.

The Central Park video has not been described as the kind of explicit harassment targeted by that policy. It has, however, put the same question back in front of viewers: how much control should ordinary people have when a stranger’s camera turns a public moment into content?

This story draws on original reporting from Mashable.