KATSEYE's Daniela Faces Backlash After Her Father Is Accused of Racist Comments About Member Yoonchae

KATSEYE member Daniela Avanzini is facing growing backlash after fans accused her father, Rafael Avanzini, of making racist and inappropriate comments about Asian dancers, including Korean member Yoonchae and other idols.

The controversy intensified when old social media comments linked to an account matching Daniela's father resurfaced in February 2026.

In one widely shared remark, he compared his daughter to BLACKPINK's Lisa in a "who is the better dancer" poll and wrote that Daniela had a "major advantage against Asian dancers" because she is Latina, which many fans viewed as a racist generalization about Asian performers.

Netizens criticised the way he framed ethnicity as an advantage and called the comment offensive and disrespectful, according to koreaboo.

Fans then started looking deeper into his past online activity and found more posts they felt crossed a line. In one Instagram Story showing Daniela and KATSEYE's Korean member Yoonchae standing close together during choreography, he reportedly captioned the image "kiss kiss her," which made many fans uncomfortable.

Some described the caption as creepy and inappropriate, especially coming from a parent toward his daughter and a fellow member.

Screenshots of these comments spread quickly across X and other platforms, where users accused him of being "racist" and "creepy."

Many Eyekons, the group's fans, said they were shocked by both the racial undertones in his remarks and the way he seemed to sexualize his own daughter and her colleagues. Some posts went further, calling for better protection of the members from family-related controversies and urging the company to step in, The Tab reported.

As criticism grew, the Instagram account believed to belong to Daniela's father was reportedly deactivated, before a new account with the same name appeared, claiming the previous one had been mass-reported and banned. The new profile continued to post messages expressing pride and love for Daniela, but did not calm the anger among many fans.

Because the account owner stated in one reply that he had "talked with Dani before anything," some people began to speculate that Daniela might have known about, or agreed with, his earlier comments, which widened the backlash to include her.

However, other fans argued that she should not be held responsible for her father's actions and called for criticism to stay focused on him.

The situation has added to ongoing concerns around KATSEYE, as recent disputes and member-related issues have already raised questions about the group's future and internal dynamics, as per KpopBreaking.