Why ‘Dance Moms’ Star Abby Lee Miller Is Still ‘Disappointed’ With Maddie Ziegler

Abby Lee Miller is headed back to “Dance Moms” without the original cast of dancers that made the show a hit with Lifetime viewers. Ahead of the series Season 8 return to the network on June 4, the dance coach spoke to Us Weekly about her thoughts on her past co-stars, namely her former star pupil, Maddie Ziegler.

After leaving the series in 2016 for a film career, it was widely reported that Ziegler and her family -- fellow “Dance Moms” alums sister Mackenzie Ziegler and mom Melissa Gisoni -- stopped speaking with Miller, despite their strong connection on the series.

READ: Mackenzie Ziegler Shares The Best Advice Maddie Gave Her After ‘Dance Moms’

Following their exit from the reality program, Miller was indicted on bankruptcy fraud charges, served time in prison, and was later diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In her interview with Us Weekly, Miller said many of her former students and their moms did not reach out to her during her time of need. Amid a small group of those who did visit her during her cancer battle, she did not mention the Zieglers as being among them.

Despite being estranged for quite some time, Miller is quoted in the magazine as saying she is “disappointed” that she doesn’t currently get to share in Ziegler’s success. Since leaving the show, Ziegler has starred in three feature films (one which releases this fall), two TV series, numerous music videos, and was most recently cast in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” as a Jet girl.

Without her former “Dance Moms” favorite by her side, Miller said she has changed her ways since her health battle. “I think I’m kinder on a daily basis. But on the flip side, I’m never going to make the mistakes I made before,” Miller said before seemingly sharing a dig towards the show’s former cast.

She added, “I’m never going to trust people with any of my finances [and I’m] never going to try to make kids who are completely ungrateful into stars. They wouldn’t be doing this and that, the TV show, the movie if it [weren’t] for me and my studio.”

READ: ‘Dance Moms’ Original Cast: Where Are They Now? Update Before 2019 Premiere

While a new season of “Dance Moms” is on the horizon, Miller said she’s already looking beyond the fresh set of episodes. Miller tells the magazine she’s looking to “get back” to her life in Los Angeles and has three shows she’s ready to pitch to networks.

Miller said of her five-year plan, “I hope I’m retired and my name is on several shows as executive producer and have the financial means to live out my days comfortably.”

“Dance Moms” returns to Lifetime on Monday, June 4, at 9 p.m. EST.