AI girl group BABYQUEEN announced that its virtual member Mity was pregnant and would temporarily step away from public activities. The posts borrowed the language of a real performer's announcement, asking followers to respect her privacy while she prepared for childbirth.
The people behind the group later acknowledged that the pregnancy storyline was fictional and the explanation inappropriate. Their stated reason was a practical one: managing the AI-generated characters had become difficult, and they wanted to reduce the number they were running.
在微博实时热搜榜上 韩国 AI 女团BABYQUEEN发布公告 Mity竟然怀孕了 这是AI界里的第一个怀孕女爱豆 这比AI拿在身份证还有活人感 事件还在持续发酵中 感觉马上就要上热搜榜了 发射它 pic.twitter.com/b65xHTlk0N
— 007|只找真角度 (@GETGEORGEMEME) October 13, 2026
The Creators Say They Could Not Manage Every Member
BABYQUEEN is styled after South Korean girl groups and launched its Xiaohongshu account in September. Behind the virtual performers are creators who describe themselves as students and K-pop enthusiasts, rather than an established entertainment operation.
'As I am unable to manage all these AI characters by myself, I thought of removing some of them', a creator explained in a statement quoted by 8days. The creator went on to acknowledge choosing an inappropriate reason for Mity to leave.
Sixth Tone reports that, in a since-deleted post, the creators described themselves as a few girls who liked K-pop and said they had earned nothing from the project. South China Morning Post similarly reports their description of BABYQUEEN as a passion project made for their own enjoyment, without an intention to profit.
The creators also said they had experienced personal attacks and online harassment. That was their account of the response, alongside the criticism of the storyline itself.
The Pregnancy Announcement Draws Criticism
The withdrawal notice did more than announce a break. It described arrangements for pregnancy and childbirth as though Mity were a human performer with a body, a private life and a schedule to negotiate.
'To prioritize her health during pregnancy and prepare for childbirth, she will temporarily suspend all group and individual variety show appearances and stage performances after thorough discussions with the team', read the group notice reproduced by Sixth Tone.
The account also asked followers not to speculate excessively about her private life. A separate statement written from Mity's perspective presented the departure as a decision reached after discussions with the company and her bandmates.
Some responses focused on the impossibility of an AI character becoming pregnant. Others objected to the decision to turn a real reproductive experience into a fictional explanation for a line-up change.
'Using "pregnant and preparing for childbirth" as a marketing hook and a sensationalized narrative trivializes real women's reproductive experiences by turning them into entertainment', read one comment reproduced by the publication.
A Music Teaser Fuels Publicity Accusations
The marketing accusation also had a more immediate backdrop: the account promoted music close to the pregnancy announcement. Sixth Tone reports that a teaser for a new song featuring the remaining members appeared on the day of the announcement.
Separately, SCMP reports that the group released a cover video of Aespa's 'Next Level' on 14 October. The proximity of the posts prompted accusations that the controversy was a publicity stunt, rather than simply an awkward way to explain a character's absence.
Not every response condemned the project. The newspaper also reports comments defending it as K-pop fans making content for fun and arguing against turning the episode into a major moral dispute.
Mity's announced departure, meanwhile, was temporary rather than a confirmed retirement. The pregnancy notice suspended activities, and the people running the project subsequently floated other uses for the character.
According to Sixth Tone, the group's parent account suggested that Mity could move into acting or become a maternity-and-infant content creator. The latter possibility would carry the motherhood storyline into another kind of content, even as she stepped away from the group.
