Abby Lee Miller Says ‘Dance Moms’ Kids’ Talents Are Numbered

Abby Lee Miller doesn’t have much confidence in her student’s talents, despite training them for several years as part of Lifetime’s “Dance Moms.”

After three weeks away, the coach will return to the ALDC (Abby Lee Dance Company) on next week’s Season 7 installment, but she does not get a warm and fuzzy greeting.

A sneak peek for episode 21, “Ashlee’s Big Decision - Part 1,” released by Lifetime Tuesday evening, shows Abby announcing that she has only returned to her studio because she was “under duress.” The comment immediately sparks anger from her student’s mothers.

“Abby, if you don’t want to be here we don’t want you to be here,” Jill Vertes tells the coach.

“You don’t get that choice,” Abby snaps in response.

After weeks of having choreographer Laurieann Gibson stand in for Abby, and make it clear she wants to teach their girls their weekly competition numbers, the mothers slam Abby for abandoning her students.

“Why do you get the choice to walk away for three weeks and come back? We’re not doing this,” Jill says.

“This is my business,” Abby tells the cameras, going on to slam Laurieann for teaching in her West Coast studio in her absence and entering “horrible competition numbers” under her studio’s name. “How dare all of you. I can come and go as I please,” Abby adds.

Jill goes on to explain to the cameras the mothers would have welcomed Abby back should she have made it clear she wants to be there.

If Abby wanted to be here we would forgive her or any wrongdoings she did. However, the first thing out of her mouth, ‘I don’t want to be here. I’m here under duress.’ Are you kidding me? Abby owes these children and the moms an apology for leaving, not keeping in touch. She cannot leave these kids high and dry and expect us to sit around and be so thankful when she walks back through that door. Nope, not gonna happen. I want her to want to be here, to want to work with the girls. We’re not playing you’re game Abby. We’re done.

“We had someone here who wanted to work with them and who worked every day,” Kira Girard adds. What follows is a majority of the team walking out of the studio.

“This is not the first time I’ve had these moms walk out on me, but guess what? I don’t get care because they’re quitters,” Abby says. “And besides that, their kids are getting older. I think their kids have a number of days left with their talents. I really do.”

Not every ALDC dancer will ditch Abby, though. Mini dancers Elliana Walmsley and Lilly Ketchman and their mothers make it clear they’re staying to better their daughters’ dance education after weeks of not performing under Laurieann’s reign.

Abby goes on to assign each of the girls a solo, giving Lily a contemporary routine and Elliana a musical theater piece. “They better be amazing,” Abby warns the girls.

The Season 7, episode 21 sneak peek ends with the other mothers reaching out to Laurieann and asking if she can choreographer a number for the remaining students. An answer isn’t given, but the earlier in the clip, the girls seem confident Laurieann won’t give up on them.

“I think she really likes us now. We grew on her a ton since the first week,” Kalani Hilliker says. “She’s not going to just leave it. She’ll be here. I know that for a fact.”

The next “Dance Moms” installment airs Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 9 p.m. EDT on Lifetime.