Manon: Missing

Global girl group, KATSEYE, which was formed from the survival show Dream Academy, which has its own Netflix Documentary, has recently lost their main visual. Manon Bannerman, who had been placed on indefinite hiatus on February 20, 2026, was officially announced to be “taking leave” from the group in order to “pursue her other passions” on March 27, 2026. Their fans, also known as EYEKONs, have claimed this harms the group’s image as a diverse and representative group, as Manon was a core pillar of the group and was one of the few black trainees within the program. With Ghanaian and Swiss-Italian roots, Manon was seen as an icon for young girls everywhere, so her dismissal is almost abrupt. 

This departure follows the strange online discourse concerning Manon’s hiatus announcement. HybexGeffen, the company that manages KATSEYE, announced that “Manon will be taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing” on February 20, following their “Gnarly” Grammy performance and Superbowl Ad alongside Jake from State Farm. This somewhat “fall from grace” hit fans hard, with EYEKONs suspecting this to somehow be racially motivated, as Manon herself posted on Weverse, a celebrity posting platform typically used by K-pop groups, that she was healthy and had other projects scheduled which included being a judge on a fashion show and starring in a short film. This adds onto the strange comments that have been left on posts by fellow KATSEYE member Daniela Avanzini’s father; he would comment vague statements such as “the group is more than one member,” and “she can come back when she’s ready to work.” This enraged fans, and the final piece dropped as she was announced to be leaving the group to become a solo performer, suspiciously paralleling the departure of ENHYPEN’s center visual, Heeseung just two weeks prior.

“We were shocked,” KATSEYE member Lara Raj said in an interview with Billboard, “It does not seem like something she would do. She was literally shaking it to [redacted] a few days ago in the dorm.” Following this, two managers stuffed Lara into a black bag and carried her off the interview set. It is speculated that discussing the situation with Manon is forbidden from their contracts, which is why Lara was kept from speaking. 

EYEKONs from all around the world have come together to trend the tag #freemanonparty to show HybexGeffen their standing in solidarity with Manon. Spread this tag to show your support for the artist!

(Happy April Fools!)