Maddie Ziegler’s Life After ‘Dance Moms’ Revealed; What’s Next For Her?

Maddie Ziegler’s official departure from the “Dance Moms” elite junior team was announced during Tuesday’s Season 6 installment, but this isn’t the end of the road for the longtime reality star. At just 13, the former Lifetime lead has several projects lined up. From a movie to a new TV show, she’s going to be busy in 2016.

After dabbling in some acting classes and taking auditions on “Dance Moms,” Maddie has earned her first leading role in a feature film. In October, “Jurassic World” director Colin Trevorrow announced that he had cast her in his drama “The Book of Henry.” Maddie will portray a girl named Christina Sickleman, a character with some serious dance skills, who is abused by her father. Maddie is said to have earned “at least” $20,000 for her role. Oscar-winner Naomi Watts also stars in the film.

While Maddie may be bidding adieu to her “Dance Moms” co-stars, she’s not done with TV just yet. Fox announced in March that she’ll be one of four judges on the hit competition series “So You Think You Can Dance” as part of the “Next Generation” season. This year’s installment, which premieres May 30, marks the first time the show will star dancers aged 8 to 13 years. Maddie is the youngest judge on the program to date. She’ll be working alongside singers Paula Abdul and Jason Derulo and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe. Check out a promo for “SYTYCD: The Next Generation” below:

It doesn’t look like Maddie is done dancing either. Despite filming her last competition as part of “Dance Moms” in February, she reunited with several of her teammates at coach Abby Lee Miller’s Pittsburgh studio in March. While there, Maddie and her 11-year-old sister Mackenzie Ziegler, who also reportedly quit the show, took a master class with choreographer Brian Friedman. Maddie also helped “High Strung” filmmakers Janeen Damian and Michael Damian audition young dancers for future projects.

"Dance Moms" airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EDT on Lifetime.