KATSEYE dismiss feud rumours amid Manon's hiatus, say break is ‘not about race’ as speculation grows

KATSEYE members have again addressed speculation surrounding Manon Bannerman's temporary hiatus, rejecting claims that her absence from the group is related to race and reaffirming their support for their bandmate.

The group's active members discussed Manon's break during an interview with Vanity Fair, saying they have remained in contact with her since HYBE announced in February that she would step back from group activities to "focus on her health and well-being".

Lara Raj dismissed online rumours suggesting tensions within the group, saying, "The safest space that we had was within the six of us. People just have no idea what goes on. They just don’t. It’s nothing but love between us."

Sophia Laforteza also responded directly to speculation that Manon's hiatus was linked to her being the group's only Black member.

"We can definitely say that in our situation, in no way was it about race," Sophia said. "That goes against everything that we stand for."

The members added that they were pleased Manon had been able to enjoy time away from the demands of the group.

Referring to Manon attending this year's Coachella as a fan rather than performing, Sophia said, "I’m really happy that she’s able to enjoy things like that."

KATSEYE were formed through HYBE's Dream Academy project, later documented in Netflix's Pop Star Academy. The group has since achieved multiple entries on the Billboard Hot 100, including the top 40 singles "Gnarly" and "Gabriela".

Speculation intensified after Manon reportedly liked a social media post referring to alleged mistreatment of Black women in the music industry. Earlier in June, however, Sophia urged fans not to draw conclusions during an interview with Allure.

"Because we did announce that it is about her well-being, it’s not our place or anybody else’s place to rush her," she said. "We want to give her all the time that she needs, all the space that she needs, and so we don’t want to make any assumptions, set anything in stone … She really deserves that, and the door is always open."