A direct hit. Abby Lee Miller called out Dance Moms alum Mackenzie Ziegler over her latest single, “Exhale,” on Saturday, September 12.
“No comment, I just want to get paid for the first song,” the 54-year-old told paparazzi during a car-side interview. The dance coach alleged she hadn’t received payment for her involvement in the 16-year-old’s single, “It’s a Girl Party,” off her 2014 debut album Mack Z. Abby continued, “No shade, all the respect in the world, but you have to respect the people who invested in you first.”
The Abby Lee Dance Company owner’s comments are the latest in a string of clapbacks between her and her former pupil. On August 8, Mackenzie shared a TikTok video of herself making funny faces at the camera while “Bulletproof” by La Roux played. “Think you can hurt my feelings? I was on Dance Moms,” the singer captioned the clip as she contributed to the popular TikTok trend.
Shortly before Kenzie’s TikTok, Abby brought up Mackenzie on her internet talk show, “Ask Abby,” and criticized her stint on Dancing With the Stars Junior in 2018. “Well, she’s not a dancer, remember?” she said in reference to the teen’s decision to enter the contest as a “celebrity.” Considering her lack of ballroom dancing experience, the longtime dancer felt more comfortable as a contestant than joining the season as a pro. Kenzie walked away with second place honors on the ABC spinoff series.
“Love when people can’t keep my name out of their mouth just to stay relevant,” the reality starlet wrote on Instagram following the choreographer’s comments.
However, it seemed Abby couldn’t let the feud rest. She allegedly joined a group DM with Dance Moms fan accounts to throw more digs at Mackenzie. “Why would an amazing dancer be an amateur on a talent competition with children who never danced? Can anyone answer that?” the dance instructor allegedly wrote, according to now-deleted screenshots from @thetiktokroom. “She should’ve been a pro! Well, she actually is a pro, right?”
After her comments, one of the fan accounts shared parts of the conversation with Kenzie herself. She allegedly replied, “Oh my God, why is an old woman jealous of a 16-year-old,” according to the screenshots.
Mackenzie — and older sister Maddie Ziegler — starred on the dance reality series for six seasons, beginning in 2011. Their last episode on the show aired in May 2016.