Why Is Maddie Ziegler Leaving ‘Dance Moms’? A Closer Look At Her Rumored Departure

“Dance Moms” viewers may be saying goodbye to an original cast member when Season 6 concludes in 2016. Before the show returns to Lifetime next month, reports are surfacing that Maddie, 13, is planning to leave the dance competition series.

While Lifetime has not announced that “Dance Moms” will return for Season 7, Us Weekly reports that “multiple sources” have confirmed Maddie will not be returning for another installment of the show. The magazine adds that Maddie has “simply grown out of her role” and “has her sights set on Hollywood.”

While Maddie’s decision to leave “Dance Moms” may surprise some fans, it won’t come as much of a shock to those paying attention to her career. Maddie quickly made a name for herself on the Lifetime show after its premiere in 2011, thanks in part to her coach, Abby Lee Miller, frequently referring to her as her star student. After winning numerous competitions during the show’s four seasons she caught the attention of Australian pop singer Sia, who gave her a starring role in her 2014 music video “Chandelier.” Of course, the rest is history -- the video gained over 1 billion views on YouTube, and Maddie went on to perform with Sia at the Grammys and co-star with her in several other music videos. Maddie became well-known on the music scene for the somewhat controversial music videos and her star quickly rose in 2015.

“Jurassic World” director Colin Trevorrow announced in October that Maddie would star in his feature drama “The Book of Henry” alongside Oscar-nominated actress Naomi Watts. In a compete departure from previous seasons of "Dance Moms," Maddie did not compete in the premiere Season 6 episode and her acting job kept her in New York City and unable to perform for most of the Los Angeles-based installment. Maddie did return for a few episodes -- fans will want to stay tuned to episode 7 -- but unfortunately for Lifetime, she has more high profile gigs on the way. With another acting job on the table -- she is set to star in Sia’s movie “Sisters” -- a continuous stream of modeling jobs and a partnership with Capezio, it’s a no-brainer as to why Maddie would want to leave reality TV.

Maddie has not spoken out about her rumored departure from the program, but she has hinted in recent months that she may be leaving for greener pastures. “I really want to focus on acting and even sing a little bit,” she told Teen Vogue in September after being named by the publication one of "Hollywood’s Next Big Things.” “I definitely want to do a movie or a scripted TV show.”

“Dance Moms” Season 6 premieres on Lifetime Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016 at 9 p.m. EST.