Lisa of BLACKPINK is celebrating a major career milestone, but what should have been a night of good news quickly turned into another heated online controversy.
Lisa has reportedly earned four nominations at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards for her song “DREAM,” her collaboration with Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi. The nominations immediately put the BLACKPINK star back in the spotlight, but instead of focusing solely on her music, some netizens began questioning whether the nominations were deserved.
Some critics accused the nominations of being “rigged” and claimed that “DREAM” did not deserve to compete in the categories.
But the controversy soon took an even more personal turn.
Several social media users began bringing up Frédéric Arnault, who has long been linked to Lisa through dating rumors. Despite neither Lisa nor Arnault publicly confirming their relationship, some commenters continued to speculate that their alleged connection somehow played a role in Lisa receiving recognition.
Others even claimed that the two had already broken up while still attempting to connect Arnault to Lisa’s latest career achievement.
The claims quickly sparked backlash of their own.
Many fans rushed to defend Lisa, arguing that there is no evidence that her alleged relationship with Arnault had anything to do with the VMA nominations. They also pointed out that Lisa’s personal life should not be used to discredit her professional achievements.
At the same time, other critics continued debating the actual merits of “DREAM,” questioning whether the song truly deserved four nominations.
That has left Lisa caught in the middle of two completely different controversies — one surrounding the music itself and another involving her private life.
And despite the endless speculation online, the alleged relationship between Lisa and Frédéric Arnault remains unconfirmed by the two individuals themselves.
What should have been a celebration of four major nominations has instead become another social media battlefield surrounding one of K-pop’s biggest stars.
Lisa may have just scored four VMA nominations — but the internet has once again found a way to turn her career milestone into a dating controversy.
