What happened to Manon in KATSEYE? The full timeline, from the Grammys to the hiatus no one saw coming
One month, KATSEYE's Manon Bannerman was on the Grammys stage with her group, up for Best New Artist. The next, she was gone from every piece of promo — and then came an announcement that turned pop's hottest six-piece into a five-piece overnight. Here's the full timeline, as of 2026.
The short answer
Manon is on a temporary hiatus from KATSEYE, announced on February 20, 2026, to focus on her health and well-being. She has not left the group, no return date has been set, and both she and her bandmates have publicly shut down the wilder theories about why she stepped away.
The full timeline
- February 1, 2026 — All six members attend the 68th Grammy Awards, where KATSEYE is nominated for Best New Artist and performs during the ceremony. Nothing seems wrong.
- Mid-February — Fans notice Manon has been omitted from several pieces of promotional material. Speculation starts building fast.
- February 20 — HYBE and Geffen Records make it official, announcing "a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing" and confirming the group will continue scheduled activities as five.
- Days later — Manon addresses fans directly through her Weverse DMs, saying she's healthy and okay, that she's having positive conversations with the label, and that she's "trusting the bigger picture."
- April — KATSEYE performs at Coachella as a quintet. Manon attends the festival — as a guest in the crowd.
- June 25 — Sophia tells Allure the group won't rush her, adding that "the door is always open."
- June 30 — In a Vanity Fair interview, the members confront the rumors head-on.
What the group says it wasn't
Because Manon is the group's only Black member and has spoken openly about receiving racist comments, some fans theorized her exit was about discrimination inside KATSEYE. Sophia rejected that directly:
"In no way was it about race," she told Vanity Fair in June 2026, adding it goes against everything the group stands for.
Lara pushed back on feud rumors in the same interview, saying outsiders have no idea what goes on and that there's nothing but love between the six of them. The members say they're still in touch with Manon "here and there."
So when is she coming back?
Nobody knows — including, it seems, KATSEYE. The group formed on HYBE's Dream Academy competition in 2023, documented in Netflix 's Pop Star Academy, and Manon was there for every hit from "Touch" to "Gnarly" and "Gabriela." Her seat isn't filled. It's just empty, for now.