Katseye's Manon Likes Video on Alleged Mistreatment of Black Members: Is She Really on Hiatus?

It was one tap on a screen. A single Instagram like. But for thousands of KATSEYE fans who had spent the previous 24 hours trying to decode what was really going on with Manon Bannerman, it landed like a confession.

On 22 February, the 23-year-old Swiss singer liked an Instagram reel captioned 'Another Black girl subjected to racism and label mistreatment yet again.' The video, by social media creator Simply Simone, drew parallels with Normani from Fifth Harmony and Leigh-Anne Pinnock from Little Mix, Koreaboo reported.

The like arrived barely a day after HYBE x Geffen Records confirmed on Weverse that Manon would be 'taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing.' The label said it followed 'open and thoughtful conversations.' Corporate. Measured. Exactly what you'd expect.

Manon's own statement on Weverse read nothing like that.

'I want you to hear this from me,' she wrote. '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 phrase. 'In ways we don't fully control.' Fans latched onto it immediately. It did not sound like someone choosing to step back. It sounded like someone being careful with her words.

Daniela's Father Wades In Before Manon's Instagram Like

The fandom was already in turmoil before Manon touched that reel. Shortly after the hiatus was confirmed, video creator Patty Eminger posted a clip claiming Manon was leaving for good. Underneath it, Rafael Avanzini, the father of fellow KATSEYE member Daniela, left a comment fans would not soon forget.

'THE SHOW MUST GO ON! With or without a member. KATSEYE IS BIGGER THAN ONE GIRL,' he wrote, The Express Tribune reported.

It got worse. When a fan insisted the group has six members, he replied '5 is ok too.' Separately, he wrote 'Come back when you ready to work,' Sportskeeda noted. All were deleted, but screenshots had already been archived and shared widely.

Hashtags 'KATSEYE IS SIX' and 'MANON IS KATSEYE' began trending. Neither Daniela nor her father has addressed the backlash.

Why Manon's Hiatus Fits A Wider Pattern

The reel Manon liked did not come from nowhere. Simply Simone laid out a case that will feel grimly familiar to anyone who has watched how Black women get treated in pop groups. 'Why is it that whenever we have a sole Black girl in a girl group, she is the victim and the most suffering?' the creator asked, Pedestrian.tv reported.

Manon was scouted directly by HYBE from social media and brought in as a wild card contestant on The Debut: Dream Academy, the reality series that built KATSEYE in 2023. Since debut, the group has released singles like 'Touch' and 'Debut,' won the MTV VMA for Push Performance of the Year and picked up the Grammy for New Artist of the Year.

Throughout all of it, Manon faced persistent racial abuse online. KATSEYE confirmed last year that the group had received 'thousands' of death threats and racist remarks.

A Leaked Document And Growing Fears She Will Not Return

An unverified document has made things worse. Screenshots circulating online appear to show an internal HYBE-Geffen file discussing a 'termination review' for Manon and a possible 'transition into a five-member unit,' Pedestrian.tv reported. Neither company has confirmed nor denied its authenticity.

Fans had already flagged warning signs. Manon was absent from a Glossier billboard campaign and a Hypebae group shoot in the weeks before her break was announced. Some EYEKONS have paused streaming campaigns in solidarity. Others are bracing for a formal announcement that she is gone for good.

HYBE and Geffen Records have offered no further clarification. KATSEYE will continue as a five-member act. No return date has been given.