The legacy of Dance Moms is still going strong. And not just because alums Maddie Ziegler and JoJo Siwa are now major celebs. This year, there was a reunion special with (most of) the original cast. As well as a Hulu reboot titled Dance Moms: A New Era.
There are numerous reasons for the Lifetime show’s continuous popularity. And one of them is definitely star Abby Lee Miller. Personally speaking, I attended college in Pittsburgh during the show’s heyday. I can attest that Abby Lee was one of the most famous women in the area. People were more excited about Dance Moms than Tom Cruise or Christopher Nolan filming movies in the city! To this day, clips and gifs of Abby Lee constantly appear on social media. However, she was banned from the reunion special and does not appear in the reboot.
Recently, in an interview with YouTuber Matt Steffania, Abby Lee shared some major behind-the-scenes secrets from the Lifetime series. Here are some of the most notable reveals from the interview.
Abby Lee Miller’s bold claims against Dance Moms producers
During the interview, Abby Lee has several bones to pick with the show’s producers. Abby Lee claimed that, over the years, they learned her triggers and used them to set her off. She recalled how cast members were forced to stay in the studio all night and continue filming until someone started fighting. Additionally, the kids would film their confessional interviews from 6 to 8 at night.
Abby’s biggest regret is letting Dance Moms prevent her from spending enough time with her dog and her mother before they passed. In an especially emotional moment, she shared the one time she left filming early. While in Florida with the cast, Abby’s mom noticed her dog was seriously ill. The pup passed away in Abby’s arms.
As if that wasn’t traumatic enough, she had to recreate the moment. After her dog passed, Abby claims, a producer made her push a fake dog and pretend her pet was still alive. “Sick, sick son of a bitch, that guy,” she said. As for why she agreed to such things, Abby said, “You don’t have any more fight left in you.” She said producers were so demanding, and filming so emotionally tolling, “You just want to be finished.”
Abby Lee’s issues with the Dance Moms casting
Numerous times throughout the interview, Abby commented how the show’s casting impacted her studio. She frequently mentioned that the stars of the show were not her school’s best dancers. It bothers her, she claims, that the kids were cast because of their moms’ capacity for drama, as opposed to their dance talent. Especially because the network requested a new dance number every week.
While not mentioning them by name, she referenced a dancer who went on to Hamilton on Broadway. However, the dancer didn’t appear on the show because their “mom was nice and sweet and paid her bill on time.” According to Abby, producers were too preoccupied with rewarding bad behavior.
Initially, Abby herself wasn’t meant to be a main cast member. That changed after she sent one dancer out of rehearsal for not following the rules. The kid’s mom lashed out and followed Abby through her studio. The resulting fight convinced producers that Abby screaming at kids and their moms needed to be a major aspect of the show.
As for the show’s many shocking moments of her screaming, she continued, “They don’t use the first 29 times of the take. They use the 30th time. And that’s where you see me explode. Every day for 12 hours there were three cameras on me. You’re gonna get something!”
How Abby Lee reacted to Maddie Ziegler’s recent comments
Throughout her time on the show, Maddie Ziegler was the clear favorite student. To this day, Abby claims, she gets asked about that all the time. According to Abby, Maddie was the favorite because she came into the studio to practice off-camera, and worked hard to be the best dancer. She also gushed that Maddie never missed class. Unlike some other cast members, who became busy with meet and greets.
However, Abby doesn’t understand Maddie’s recent statements against Dance Moms. Earlier this year, Maddie said her mom tried to get off the show and apologized for having them on it in the first place. Her sister Kenzie Ziegler said it robbed her of a childhood. Maddie also feels at peace not speaking to her former dance teacher again. And both sisters skipped the reunion.
“We’re very confused by it all,” Abby said. “We were kind to her. She did get the good music, she did get the good costumes, she did get the good routines. We worked our butts off with that kid to make her the best, to win. And she wanted it.”
Despite her fallout with Maddie, Abby is still on good terms with JoJo Siwa and appeared on her podcast. JoJo still praises Abby Lee, and even called out the reboot for replacing her.
Abby Lee opens up about prison and the difficult aftermath
When her time in prison was brought up, Abby Lee called it a “witch hunt.” She boldly accused one of the Dance Moms of tipping off authorities. Despite what she was charged with, Abby insisted the money she made was all accounted for. “I split everything with the moms 50/50,” she said, “I paid all the fees, I paid the insurance so the kids could dance, I paid the insurance so if anyone got hurt at the event I took all those hits.”
Abby will share more about her prison sentence in an upcoming documentary. While incarcerated she was taken off her thyroid medication, for unknown reasons. She did talk a little about the medical emergency that left her in a wheelchair after she got out. Through tears, Abby recalled hearing the surgeon say to get the theater ready. “I thought, ‘If I die, at least I’m on stage, right?'”
What Abby thinks is the most misunderstood thing about her
At the end of the interview, Abby insisted that she loves kids. She still teaches kids to dance. “I still yell at them, I still reprimand them, I still correct them, and I still love them,” she said. “I want kids to fulfill their dreams,” she continued, “And if I can be a little fairy godmother and make that happen, I’ll wave that wand. Anywhere, anytime, any place.”
Of course, Abby Lee is controversial because she was so harsh on the kids, not exactly fairy godmother-like. Surely, fans bristled at her admitting that she still yells at kids. But Abby also frankly admitted that she didn’t pursue dance herself because it’s too hard. Laughing, she said, “I don’t know why kids want to be dancers. I don’t know why I want to make them dancers.”
Abby Lee’s passion for dance, and helping kids achieve greatness, is evident. As for what makes a dancer great, she said, “It takes a theme, a story. It takes me knowing how to camouflage kids, hide them, put their best foot forward. That’s what we did. We told a story every week. We got it out there, we made the good turners turn, we made the good leapers leap, we made the good legs do leg stuff, all simultaneously. So, you couldn’t see who couldn’t do anything. That’s choreography.”
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF ABBY LEE MILLER’S EXPLOSIVE INTERVIEW? WHAT WERE THE MOST SURPRISING REVELATIONS ABOUT DANCE MOMS?
