Abby Lee Miller is speaking out after she wasn’t asked back for Lifetime’s recent Dance Moms reunion.
The former star of the reality series stopped by the Just B with Bethenny Frankel podcast to share her thoughts on being left out of the special.
“I think the kids can’t face me because they know they would never be where they are today if it wasn’t for the show,” Miller dished to the former Real Housewives of New York star.
Dance Moms originally aired from 2011-19 and focused on the Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC).
The long-running reality TV series charted the competition team as they learned their dance routines and competed nationwide.
“There’s two little girls named Brooke and Paige Hyland who I was very close to, much closer emotionally and family wise than any of the other kids,” Miller recalled.
Abby Lee Miller wonders why cast members returned if she was too toxic
“Their mother was in my original competition team when I was 14 years old — their mother,” Miller added.
“And she stayed at my studio, then she left, got married, had kids, brought them to my studio at two years old, and stayed until the show started.”
Miller claimed that if her behavior had made the environment “so toxic,” the kids would not have returned to her studio year after year.
Many Dance Moms alums have spoken out against Miller in recent years, including Maddie Ziegler, who is now “at peace” with never speaking to her former dance coach again.
During the extensive chat with Frankel, Miller said that people shouldn’t believe what they read before claiming that Lifetime “wanted me to be this down and out, po-dunk, heavy set dance teacher, screaming at these little kids because that made good TV.”
Abby Lee Miller’s shows were canceled in 2020
Miller was set to return to Dance Moms in 2020 and was revealed to be fronting a pandemic-friendly edition of the show, but Lifetime severed ties with the TV personality after she was accused of racism by former contestant Adriana Smith.
In the aftermath, Miller released a statement claiming to “understand and deeply regret how my words have effected and hurt those around me in the past.”
Miller has since hinted that her shows could continue on a different network, and NBCUniversal seems willing to work with her following her guest stint on House of Villains last fall.
While she didn’t make the cut for a full-time spot on the House of Villains Season 2 cast, there’s a chance she could be brought back as a guest.
Miller has also put her name forward to join the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Monsters and Critics will keep you updated on any future updates about Abby Lee Miller’s shows.