Katseye’s “temporary hiatus” drama, explained

Here’s everything we know so far about the hiatus, fan response, and why people are threatening to hang up their Eyekon hats forever if Bannerman leaves the group.

How did Katseye get to this moment?

There’s no doubt that Katseye has been having her moment since a 2026 Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, appearing on Tonight’s show starring Jimmy Fallon and breaking records with his Gap jeans ad. Comprised of Bannerman, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Yoonchae Jeung, Sophia Laforteza and Daniela Avanzini, Katseye has been praised by both long-time K-pop fans and American pop audiences for its use of the K-pop idol training style while also breaking down some of the industry’s well-known rigidity. That is to say, fans are living for a pop group that is actually racially diverse and also has two openly queer members (Raj and Skiendiel), among other departures from the typical K-pop playbook. Bannerman and Raj, in particular, have been praised for respectively making necessary space for South Asian women and Black women in the K-pop genre.

However, breaking the mold has not been without criticism and challenges. Bannerman’s alleged mistreatment has been a topic of conversation since before Katseye was officially formed. During the years-long Hybe training program designed to replicate the music, acting, and dance education that K-pop idols receive, Bannerman was scouted on social media, particularly as a strong candidate to be the group’s “visual,” a term in K-pop for the most model member of a group responsible for brand endorsements.

Despite being handpicked for the show and Hybe executives repeatedly praising her natural “star quality,” unlike many of the other girls, Bannerman was portrayed as “unprofessional” on the Netflix show. pop star academy for not coming to practice, while other members who did not come to practice I did not receive the same editionas fans have pointed out.

“Being called lazy, especially as a black girl, is not fair,” Bannerman said. The cut in a February interview. “Now I feel like I always need to try harder to prove something, even if I don’t really have to.”

Throughout Katseye’s rise to fame, fans have continued to point out instances where they feel Manon was unfairly singled out, such as not appearing in the Music video for “Gabriela”choreography that apparently hides it during the performance and not be visible in the Instagram post that features the Glossier billboard of the group advertisement.

How has Manon responded to Katseye’s announcement of her “hiatus”?

In light of Hybe and Bannerman’s hiatus announcement, fans and even other pop stars have rushed online to find out what’s really going on. Shortly after the statements were released on Friday, people online began post screenshots Bannerman liked posts that discussed how racism impacted the only black members of various pop groups, such as this popular Instagram video from content creator Simone Umba. The star also appeared to have followed other black pop stars who have spoken out about the racism they faced in their respective girl groups, such as Fifth Harmony’s Normani and Little Mix’s Leigh Ann Pinnock.