Maddie, who famously starred in Sia's 'Chandelier' music video, criticized the Lifetime show and her former instructor's teaching methods in a new cover interview with Cosmopolitan that was published on June 14.
- Jun 17, 2022
AceShowbiz - Abby Lee Miller has spoken out about scathing comments on "Dance Moms" from one of her most famous former students, Maddie Ziegler. Abby responded to Maddie's "toxic environment" claim in a new YouTube video, which was published on Thursday, June 16.
"I'm glad that there was finally a small, tiny, smidgen of recognition, because I did train her and I did help her," Abby, who was known for her blunt critiques of her students on the Lifetime show, said. "A lot of people at the studio did. And I know that what I did for Maddie, with Maddie, helped her succeed."
She went on to question, "If it was so toxic, why did you keep doing it?"
Maddie criticized the show and Abby's teaching methods in a new cover interview with Cosmopolitan which was published on June 14. She claimed that she hasn't spoken to her past instructor after leaving the show. She added that "for the longest time, we felt so guilty" as Abby "trained me, she helped me."
"But also, I knew I would be okay without her and I was sick of being in a toxic environment," Maddie continued. "I was like, 'This is not for me. I can't do this.' "
Maddie also shared that she and her family "really tried to leave for the last three seasons." She further revealed, "But when you're in a contract, it's really hard. Eventually, I finally got out." Of the claim, Abby said on her YouTube page that the original child stars of "Dance Moms" "never had a contract," although their mothers did.
In her interview, Maddie, who famously starred in Sia Furler's "Chandelier" music video, also shared that being on "Dance Moms" was stressful. "There were really amazing times, but there were also a lot of things that were really, really not great for us kids," she recalled. "The pressure of being known as, 'Oh, she's the girl that always wins,' then to not win or to have another girl beat me was the end of the world. Because that's what I was taught: to not win or to have another girl beat me was the end of the world."
In response to the remarks, Abby insisted that "Maddie wanted to win." She continued, "She wanted to be the best. She was a perfectionist."
Abby also denied telling her students, "If you don't get the trophy, if you don't get the crown, you are less than." She said on her YouTube video, "I have never said that."
"I was risking my studio and the reputation and all the kids that came before those kids you know [on 'Dance Moms']. There were lots of great kids before them and there's been lots of great kids after them. I have some stars right now out there, competing. Do they always win? No. Do I want them to win? Yes. Do they want to win? Yes. And I'm doing everything in my power to help them," she went on to say.
