Abby Lee Miller Pioneered 'Dance Moms,' but Don't Ask Her About 'Dance Moms: A New Era'
Abby is too busy creating her own 'Dance Moms' spinoffs to be bothered with the new Hulu series.
Updated Aug. 8 2024, 2:59 p.m. ET
Break out your best sparkling outfits and dancing shoes because Dance Moms is back! The Lifetime series that ended in 2019 is back with many changes. First, the reboot, titled Dance Moms: A New Era, is on Hulu, switching from a weekly program to allowing its audience to stream all 10 episodes simultaneously. The series also introduced a new coach, Gloria "Glo" Hampton, who is determined to make her students at her studio, Studio Bleu, continue their reign as one of the top studios in the country.
As many Dance Moms fans know, Glo's spot as the reality show's central coach was once obtained by former coach Abby Lee Miller. Abby and her students at Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC) were must-see TV for eight seasons. So, it was shocking to learn the controversial instructor had no involvement with Dance Moms: A New Era. Is Abby all danced out? Here's what to know!
Why isn't Abby Lee Miller on 'Dance Moms: A New Era?'
Abby would be hard-pressed to escape her time on Dance Moms. Her rants are still discussed on social media today, and she's responsible for the world knowing who Jojo Siwa and Maddie Ziegler are. But when Dance Moms: A New Era began filming, Coach Glo told Entertainment Tonight that Abby declined her offer for Abby to shoot a few scenes for the Hulu series.
"As the show went on, I reached out to her," Glo told Entertainment Tonight in August 2024. "We were together in the same state, and I was like, 'Hey, come by set, we'd love to see you.'"
Rather than appearing on Dance Moms: A New Era, Abby created another show where she teaches new dancers in similar ways her fans know and love. In April 2024, she dropped an extended trailer for her new show, Abby Lee Dance With Me.
The series still involves Abby throwing shade at her students' moms but also has multiple elimination rounds, which Abby announces by saying, "Poof, be gone." So far, the series will air on her YouTube channel. The show will join Abby's other post-Dance Moms project, Mad House, which she shared the sneak peek for in 2023.
Abby Lee Miller hasn't talked to her "good friend" and new 'Dance Moms' coach Glo Hampton since 'A New Era' began.
Abby's choice to move on from Dance Moms wasn't seamless. In June 2020, her spinoff, Abby’s Virtual Dance Off, was abruptly canceled after she allegedly made racist remarks against one of her students, Kamryn Smith. The cancellation came after Abby faced multiple personal issues, including an eight-month prison stay for bankruptcy fraud in 2017-2018 followed by a non-Hodgkins lymphoma diagnosis shortly after her release.
With all of the hardships Abby faced on and off Dance Moms, it's understandable that she would need a break. However, Glo shared ahead of the Dance Moms: A New Era premiere that Abby might not be as supportive of the new iteration as she thought.
While she said Abby sent her a congratulatory text when she booked the reboot, she said they haven't spoken since, which shocked her because she believed they were "good friends."
"She did reach out and congratulate me and I thought she was supporting the whole thing," Glo explained to Page Six. "And then when I did reach out to try to get together – because we were in Florida at the same time – she just wasn’t very receptive. So I’m not sure where we stand right now, but I think that she feels a type of way. And I understand, but it’s a new show – it’s not her show.”
Abby hasn't responded to Glo's claims, nor has she acknowledged Dance Moms: A New Era. It's possible she needs more time to process the changes, which we have no choice but to respect!
Stream Dance Moms: A New Era on Hulu.
