Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller is fully admitting she was too harsh on dancers she didn’t believe had talent.
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The infamous dance teacher sat down with ABC News’ Juju Chang to discuss her dance world comeback. When asked by Chang if she ever wanted to walk back some of the harsh comments she made on Dance Moms, Miller quickly stated she absolutely would.
“No matter how harsh I was on the kid, they weren’t gonna get it,” Abby Lee Miller explained. “They just didn’t have the talent.”
Chang clarified that Miller was saying she regretted her actions not because she hurt the kids’ feelings but because it was pointless. The dance teacher denied ever wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings.
Instead, Abby Lee Miller said her well-known intense criticism came from her desire to make the dancers be better. She also wanted them to be the best that they could be.
Miller’s interview with Chang will premiere right after the premiere of the highly anticipated Dance Moms: Behind the Curtain reunion special on Lifetime.
The former Dance Moms castmates appearing in the special are JoJo Siwa, Chloe Lukasiak, Brook Hyland, Paige Hyland, Kendall Vertes, and Kalani Hilliker. Their mothers Jessalyn Siwa, Christi Lukasiak, Kelly Hyland, Jill Vertes, and Kira Girard will also be in attendance.
Along with Abby Lee Millers, other cast mates who won’t be present for the reunion are Maddie Ziegler, Mackenzie Ziegler, and Nia Sioux.
The two-hour special will air on Wednesday, May 1 at 8 p.m. ET. Miller’s interview will be airing on Thursday, May 2, through Hulu.
Fellow ‘Dance Moms’ Star Chloe Lukasiak Spoke About Abby Lee Miller and Her Harsh Criticism
Before her appearance on the Dance Moms reunion special, Chloe Lukasiak spoke to Entertainment Tonight about her days with Abby Lee Miller and the harsh criticism she endured both on and off the stage.
When asked if she ever intended to appear on the reunion special, Lukasiak originally declined because it didn’t feel right to her. “I spent so many years trying to leave that in the past,” Lukasiak explained. “And then I went to college and I kind of disappeared for a minute. It was my last semester when we were filming.”
The former dancer said she decided in a non-arrogant way that she wanted to appear on the special because she knew the other castmates were going to talk about her no matter what. “So I might as well be there to be able to speak my peace, say my opinions, and talk about what happened in the past.”
She also wanted to express her gratitude for the Dance Moms experience and opportunity before shutting the door for good.
Lukasiak then talked about Abby Lee Miller and her traumatizing criticism. “It was really hard,” she said about the negative impact Miller had on her during her adolescence. “I think when you’re that young, you’re really vulnerable and you absorb everything people tell you.”
She then reflected on constantly being pitted against her teammate Maddie Ziegler. “I was ready to put in the hours all the time anyway. I didn’t need that, and I think it affected both of us in different ways.”
Although she can’t speak for Ziegler, Lukasiak said the constant competition between the two was unnecessarily cruel. “I think it completely shaped who I am today.”
Chloe and her mom Christi were series regulars on Dance Moms from seasons one to four. They eventually returned to the show during the second half of its seventh season.