HYBE rules out Manon at Coachella

The rumor lasted less than a week. On April 9, 2026, Hybe America told The Korea Herald that Manon “remains on hiatus” and will not join KATSEYE’s Coachella set in Indio on Friday, April 10. (entertainment.inquirer.net) That closed a loop that HYBE had partly opened itself. On April 3, The Korea Herald published that Manon’s Coachella participation was uncertain after revising an earlier version that had suggested she would appear. (koreaherald.com) The confusion mattered because Coachella is KATSEYE’s festival debut, and the group is still new enough that every lineup change feels like a referendum on the group itself. Coachella’s 2026 festival runs April 10 to 12 and April 17 to 19 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. (coachellavalley.com) Manon has been out since February for health reasons, and that part at least has been consistent. In an official Weverse notice, HYBE and Geffen Records said she was taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing. (weverse.io) What changed was not her status but the expectation around her return. After fans noticed that Manon had removed “KATSEYE” from her Instagram profile on April 3, speculation jumped from “Will she make Coachella?” to “Is she leaving the group?” (koreaherald.com) Manon then tried to cool things down without answering the biggest question. In a Weverse message quoted by The Korea Herald and The Fader, she said she was healthy, supported, and in positive conversations with Hybe x Geffen. (koreaherald.com, thefader.com) That still left one practical clue: KATSEYE’s new “Pinky Up” teasers were rolling out without her. The Fader reported on April 3 that new teaser material for the single did not include Manon ahead of the group’s Coachella weekend. (thefader.com) So the Coachella stage now looks simpler than the rumor mill did. KATSEYE will make its debut without Manon, while her hiatus continues and HYBE still is not publicly giving a return date. (entertainment.inquirer.net, weverse.io) The part fans still do not have is the long-term answer. HYBE has confirmed the Friday absence, but the company has not announced that Manon is leaving KATSEYE, and Manon herself has said more information will come later. (entertainment.inquirer.net, koreaherald.com)