KATSEYE’s Daniela Avanzini Slammed After Father Made Racist Comments Toward Fellow Band Member Manon Bannerman: 'They Sent the Wrong Member on Hiatus'

KATSEYE’s Daniela Avanzini is under fire after her father made some questionably racist comments.

Amid band member Manon Bannerman’s hiatus from the group, Avanzini’s dad, Rafael, shared some inappropriate remarks on social media.

Rafael hyped up his daughter at the expense of Manon, as well as BLACKPINK’s Lisa.

A fan commented on one of Rafael’s social media posts that Daniela, 21, was “copying” Manon, 23, and will never be as popular as her or Lisa, 28.

“Daniela does not need to be like Lisa or Manon,” he wrote, then adding, “KATSEYE does not run based off of Manon. The girls will be fine."

In a separate post where a fan compared Daniela to Lisa, Rafael commented, “If you have to ask, DANIELA! Much better trained. Plus, she is also Latina, a major advantage against Asian dancers. Her hips are untouchable."

Fans bashed Rafael over the “racist” comments.

“Saying this while 4 members of KATSEYE are Asian…" one person pointed out, while another noted, “This is so unnecessary and straight-up racist. Why drag Lisa into this? Latina or Asian, talent speaks for itself. Let the girls dance without the weird comparisons.”

A third expressed, “Both Daniela and Lisa are incredibly talented dancers with different backgrounds and strengths. There’s no need to put one down to praise the other. Music and dance should unite people, not divide them.”

Social media users are taking to the comments section of Daniela’s post, encouraging her to get her father under control.

“You better go talk to daddy,” one person urged, while another quipped, “They sent the wrong member on hiatus.”

Rafael later apologized for his contentious words.

“I want to apologise to Manon and to everyone I affected, especially Eyekons. I wasn’t in the right headspace when I wrote those comments, and I know I came off rude and insensitive. That was wrong of me and I’m truly sorry to anyone I hurt,” he wrote in a February 23 Instagram post. “As a father, seeing your daughter get so much hate online is really painful, and I reacted without thinking clearly. I let my emotions take over, but that still doesn’t excuse what I said.”

He added, “Looking back, I understand I should have stayed in my place and not involved myself in online drama. I only wanted to protect Daniela because the comparisons and nasty comments were hard to see, but I handled it the wrong way. I don’t come online often, but when I do and see that negativity, it hurts as a parent. I will take this as a lesson, stay offline, and focus on supporting and protecting my daughter in real life.”

The controversy comes amid the group’s announcement that Manon is taking a “temporary hiatus” from KATSEYE.

A statement released on the girl group’s Weverse and X read, “After open and thoughtful conversations together, we are sharing that Manon will be taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing. We fully support this decision. KATSEYE remains committed to showing up for one another and for the fans who mean everything to us. The group will continue scheduled activities during this time, and we look forward to being together again when the time is right. Thank you to our EYEKONS for your continued love, patience, and understanding.”

Manon released her own statement on Weverse as well, writing, “Hi friends. I want you to hear this from me, I'm healthy, I'm okay, and I'm taking care of myself. Thank u 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.”

KATSEYE is set to perform at Lollapalooza in Argentina on March 13, followed by Coachella in April. It is unclear whether the musician will join her fellow band members during their festival tour circuit.