Manon Bannerman Rejoins KATSEYE Amid Scandal

KATSEYE star Manon Bannerman is set to return to the popular girl group following a six-week hiatus, her label confirmed.

Hybe, which created the multinational global girl group with Geffen Records, confirmed to The Korea Herald that Bannerman will join her bandmates for their scheduled  performance on April 11.

However, her overall future with the group remains unclear.

This week, Bannerman shocked fans by removing 'KATSEYE' from her Instagram bio, leading to speculation that she'd formally quit.

But on Thursday, the 23-year-old issued a statement on the WeVerse app and confirmed that she is still in talks with Hybe and Geffen Records about her future.

'Thank you so much for all the love and support you've been sending my way,' she wrote to fans.

'I'm really grateful for the patience and kindness everyone has shown during this time. HxG and I are having positive conversations and I feel supported. I'm happy and I'm healthy. I'll share more soon. Thank you for always being there for me.'

As Bannerman's role hangs in the balance, the remaining five members of KATSEYE are moving forward without her. 

On Thursday, the group dropped a music video teaser for their upcoming single 'Pinky Up' – their first without Bannerman.

Back in February, KATSEYE announced that Bannerman was taking a 'temporary hiatus' from the chart-topping group to focus on her 'health and wellbeing'.

Her exit has sparked a firestorm among the group's fiercely loyal fandom, with countless fans baselessly claiming that her shock exit may have been racially-driven. 

The drama went into overdrive after Bannerman 'liked' an Instagram post from pop culture commentator Simply Simone, who claimed that Bannerman was the victim of 'abhorrent hate' due to her race.

The post also said that Black members of mixed-race girl groups are often victims of racism.

Bannerman is Ghanaian on her father's side and Swiss-Italian on her mother's side. 

She is the only Black member of KATSEYE, which is described as a 'global girl group' featuring members from across the world, including the Philippines, South Korea, and India.

Bannerman also fueled the fire by contradicting her record label Hybe's public statement about her hiatus.

While the label said that Bannerman was going on hiatus to focus on her health, the singer herself took to the social media app WeVerse to insist that she was fine.  

'I want you to hear this from me, I'm healthy, I'm okay, and I'm taking care of myself,' Bannerman wrote to her fans.

'Thank you for checking in! Sometimes things unfold in ways we don't fully control, but I'm trusting the bigger picture. Thank you for standing by me. I love you endlessly and can't wait to see you again.'

A handful of celebrities have thrown their support behind Bannerman, including R&B singers SZA and Chloe Bailey.

Fifth Harmony's Normani, Little Mix's Leigh-Anne Pinnock, the Pussycat Dolls' Melody Thornton, who are the only Black members of their respective girl groups, have all backed Bannerman on social media.