The shade is real! Dance Moms alums, like Maddie and Kenzie Ziegler, Chloe Lukasiak, Brooke Hyland and Nia Sioux, have dished on their ~true~ feelings about coach Abby Lee Miller over the years.
The choreographer’s teaching style was seen as extremely controversial during the Lifetime show due to the insane amount of stress she would inflict on her young students by promoting inner-team competition.
The show began in July 2011 and introduced many of its breakout stars during the premiere season. Although many of the girls went on to find success in the entertainment industry, very few look back fondly on their days at The Abby Lee Dance Company.
Dance Moms ended in 2019 and was followed by Abby’s Virtual Dance Off, which was slated to run for 12 episodes. However, the spinoff was quickly pulled by the network in June 2020 after she was accused of racist behavior by former dance mom Adriana Smith, whose daughter Kamryn appeared during season 8.
Abby apologized to the family shortly after. “I genuinely understand and deeply regret how my words have effected and hurt those around me in the past, particularly those in the Black community,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “To Kamryn, Adriana and anyone else I’ve hurt, I am truly sorry. I realize that racism can come not just from hate, but also from ignorance. No matter the cause, it is harmful, and it is my fault. While I cannot change the past or remove the harm I have done, I promise to educate myself, learn, grow and do better. While I hope to one day earn your forgiveness, I recognize that words alone are not enough. I understand it takes time and genuine change.”
All of the drama on Dance Moms through the years has led fans to wonder if the series is scripted. Maddie, who left the reality show during season 6, talked about what happens behind the camera during an interview with USA Today in 2017.
“It’s hard to do a reality show when there’s so much crying and drama. The producers set it up to make us all yell at each other,” the Book of Henry star admitted. “You know how I said that moms do fight? The moms have to fake a fight sometimes. Afterward, they just start talking and laugh about it.”
That being said, Maddie acknowledged the stress revolving around competitions is 100 percent genuine. “It is really real. We do have a really crazy competition life,” she added.
Keep scrolling to see other Dance Moms alums’ shady comments about Abby!