Things are… tense in KATSEYE land right now.
After HYBE and Geffen Records announced that Manon Bannerman was taking a break from the girl group to “focus on her health and wellbeing”, fans did what fans do best: theorised, analysed, and, in some cases, completely exploded. Because while the label’s official statement made it sound pretty standard, Manon’s own message painted a very different picture.
“I want you to hear this from me,” she wrote on Weverse. “I’m healthy, I’m okay, and I’m taking care of myself. Sometimes things unfold in ways we don’t fully control, but I’m trusting the bigger picture.”
That single sentence: “things unfold in ways we don’t fully control”, has since become the fandom’s latest obsession.
Is Manon’s hiatus from KATSEYE actually just a break?
On paper, KATSEYE is still forging ahead. HYBE says they “fully support [Manon’s] decision” and promised fans that “the group will continue scheduled activities” until she returns. But online, EYEKONS (the fandom) aren’t buying the neatly packaged narrative.
The first red flag? Manon was quietly missing from multiple campaigns and shoots in the lead-up to the announcement — including the Glossier billboard and Hypebae group spread.
Then there was the now-infamous comment from fellow member Daniela Avanzini’s dad under a KATSEYE video: “THE SHOW MUST GO ON! With or without a member.” He deleted it, but not before fans screenshot it into eternity.
Cue the chaos.
One fan on X summed up the general vibe: “If literal parents of members are publicly supporting KATSEYE without Manon, I can only imagine what she’s been going through behind the scenes.”
The leaked file that changed everything
Adding fuel to the fire, screenshots of a supposed internal HYBE–Geffen document began circulating last week. The file (which neither company has confirmed or denied) allegedly outlines a “termination review” for Manon, suggesting an eventual “transition into a five-member unit”.
Sound familiar? That’s because this wouldn’t be the first HYBE act to quietly shrink its lineup. Fans have pointed out similar patterns in other groups like Le Sserafim and Illit.
For KATSEYE, though, it cuts deeper. Manon wasn’t just another trainee; she was scouted directly. The half-Swiss, half-Ghanaian “wild card” ended up standing out on both of the reality shows that created the girl group, The Debut: Dream Academy and Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE.
The racism conversation that won’t go away
Amid the hiatus chaos, Manon liked a social media post which read: “Another Black girl subjected to racism and label mistreatment yet again”. Screenshots of the like spread fast, sparking a fresh wave of conversation about race, representation and how entertainment companies really treat Black women in pop groups.
Social media creator Simply Simone recently put it bluntly in a viral TikTok dissecting the situation:
“Why is it that whenever we have a sole Black girl in a girl group, she is the victim and the most suffering? This has honestly become a trope in pop culture.”
She pointed to Manon’s experience as fitting a long, painful pattern. “If you’ve followed KATSEYE since the start, you know Manon has been subjected to some of the most abhorrent hate,” she said.
“She and Daniela have copped racist abuse for months — but for Manon, being biracial makes it even worse. People are literally arguing online about whether she’s ‘Black enough’.”
Simone compared Manon’s situation to Normani from Fifth Harmony and Leigh-Anne Pinnock from Little Mix, both of whom have spoken openly about the isolation that came with being the only Black woman in their respective groups. “We’ve seen this story before,” Simone said. “And it’s always the same girl paying the price.”
What happens next with KATSEYE
Right now, KATSEYE are pushing through festival season without Manon on stage, and fans are unsure whether this “hiatus” will actually end. On Weverse, the singer sounded calm but resigned — not like someone plotting a quick comeback.
“I’m trusting the bigger picture,” she told fans.
And maybe that’s the hardest part, that the “bigger picture” might not include her at all.
In the meantime, EYEKONS have launched hashtags demanding transparency from HYBE and have even started pausing streaming campaigns in solidarity. Others are trying to stay positive, hoping her break is purely personal.
But for anyone who’s been paying attention to how racial dynamics play out in pop groups, it’s hard not to notice the pattern forming. And unless something changes or someone at HYBE decides to actually talk, Manon’s hiatus might end up being less of a pause and more of a parting note.
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