'Dance Moms' Star Abby Lee Miller Teases Season 9 of Show
A new season of Dance Moms may soon be making its way back to TV. Years after the long-running reality series wrapped its eighth season back in 2019, filming seems to be underway on Dance Moms Season 9, at least according to recent social media posts from Abby Lee Miller.
Speculation that a new season of the dance series could be happening was sparked on Sunday after Miller teased that she was busy at work on a "new project." On Instagram, Miller shared a video and image showing herself and a group of young dancers in the studio at Abby Lee Dance Company, the show's iconic and controversial pyramid concealed on the wall as a camera crew could be seen filming. In the caption, Miller wrote, "Here we go!!! Who do you think will be on top of the pyramid?! You all have no idea what's in store..." Telling fans to "stay tuned," Miller added in the hashtags "Dance Moms," "Season 9," and "DMS9." In a follow-up post, Miller said she was "working with the incredible talent that flew in from all over the country for our 2022 [ALDC] Booty Camp!" She again added that "Dance Moms" and "Season 9" hashtags.
Miller's teasing's of a possible new season of Dance Moms comes as a bit of a shock. After Dance Moms wrapped Season 8 in 2018, Lifetime severed ties with Miller in 2020 after Adriana Smith, whose daughter Kamryn took part in Season 8, accused Miller of making racist comments. In a social media post responding to Miller posting a black square in honor of Blackout Tuesday, Smith shared, "A statement from her that sticks in my mind to this day... is 'I know you grew up in the HOOD with only a box of 8 crayons, but I grew up in the Country Club with a box of 64.'" Smith also alleged that her daughter once overheard someone affiliated with the show saying she was included because "they need a sprinkle of color."
Amid the controversy, Lifetime announced in June 2020 that it would not move forward with its planned Abby's Virtual Dance-Off series. In response to the controversy, Miller wrote on social media, "I genuinely understand and deeply regret how my words have effected [sic] and hurt those around me in the past, particularly those in the Black community."
At this time, Dance Moms Season 9 has not formally been announced and it is unclear if a potential ninth season would air on Lifetime or a different network. The original series ran for eight seasons from 2011 through 2019 and followed a group of young dancers at Abby Lee Dance Company as they danced in various competitions. The series fell to the wayside amid Miller's cancer diagnosis.