‘Dance Moms’ Star Abby Lee Miller Unloads on Maddie Ziegler Over ‘Toxic Environment’ Criticism

It may be 2022, but, somehow, a major feud between Dance Moms stars is heating up. After Dance Moms alum Maddie Ziegler shared some major criticisms over the show’s alleged “toxic environment,” Abby Lee Miller is hitting back, per The Blast. Miller didn’t mince words about the situation as she addressed it both via YouTube and during an interview with TMZ. 

It’s been six years since Ziegler was on Dance Moms. Recently, she looked back at her time with the program and shed some insight on the current state of her relationship with her former dance teacher, Miller. She told Cosmopolitan that when it comes to her strained relationship with Miller, she’s “at peace” with it. Ziegler also called the Dance Moms environment “toxic” and one that she was grateful to leave. In a video posted to her YouTube channel, Miller addressed her former student’s claims.

“What I don’t understand [about] the pressure, the ‘toxic’ situation—if it was so toxic, why did you keep doing it?” Miller asked at one point. The reality star also refuted Ziegler’s claim that she was under contract and, thus, unable to leave the show after three seasons as she wanted to. Miller claimed, “Newsflash, the kids in the original cast never had a contract. The moms had a contract, but the kids, well… they were just kind of there on a handshake. ” She went on to say that if Ziegler had an issue with the show, she and her family could have left. 

“I thought she wanted to be there… if she said, ‘I don’t want to go, I’m not going,’ kicking and screaming, stomping her feet, I’m sure her mother wouldn’t have brought her— or she would have come and talked to me about it. She never did that,” Miller added. The former Dance Moms coach also took issue with Ziegler’s complaints about the show considering the platform that it gave her. Since being on Dance Moms, Ziegler has enjoyed a flourishing acting career and worked with singer Sia a number of times. Miller said, “I know that what I did for Maddie, with Maddie, helped her succeed.”

While Miller may have a different view on the situation, Ziegler made her feelings clear to Cosmopolitan. The Music star said that Miller was “distraught” when she left the show. However, she knew that it was the right decision for her. Zieger explained, “For the longest time, we felt so guilty. She 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. I was like, ‘This is not for me. I can’t do this.’ I haven’t spoken to her since. I feel at peace.”