eight seasons. Despite the show's title, the mothers were not the true star of the series. Abby was the cornerstone of the show with her harsh critiques of the young dancers (and their moms).
She pushed the envelope with she was released from prison, she found out she had a rare form of cancer and became paralyzed. After all of that, she still returned to the dance studio, ready to put the stage moms in their place. However, she's finally done with the show that made her a household name. She also alluded to some shadiness behind the scenes in regard to her contract.
Abby shared a sweet post on Instagram with a photo of her smiling and g some papers. She told her followers, "Nine years ago, we were in AZ filming Dance Moms. Satan stuck a pen in my hand insisting that I sign a contract! I was at the competition, literally in front of the stage, rehearsing a routine. I was kinda busy! But the show must go on, right?" If anyone knows this it is Abby Lee Miller. The woman cannot be stopped by legal issues, health issues, or meddling mothers. She continued, "I did my 8 seasons, 2 spin offs and now a new self contained competition show in the midst of our global pandemic." Gotta love the self-promotion in mid-send-off there. She concluded her post thanking the network, but she still had a lot more to say in the comments section on her own post. That's where it really got juicy. Check out her heartfelt tribute post below:
It seems like Abby was initially down to film another season, but she claims that there was some shadiness going on with the contract negotiations. The dance teacher commented, "Lifetime had 8 months to begin shooting season 9 with an incredible cast of kids and moms... we were their 2nd highest rated show! They just kept extending my contract a few months at a time instead of ordering another season." Abby told another Instagram , "I did not quit (this time) my contract is up and they keep extending [the season] so I can't do anything else! I haven't worked in eight months. They just want me to sit around and do nothing and not work for anyone else!" She also denied that low ratings were an issue when she claimed, "We were their 2nd highest rated show! Furthermore, Dance Moms save[d] Life time back [in] 2011!"
There's never a dull moment with Abby Lee Miller, even when she's announcing the end of a show, she's blessing her fans with some drama. It's a shame that the show had to end on such a strange note with some seemingly cheap contract negotiations instead of simply ending the show or adding a full season. While Dance Moms may be over (for now), it's very unlikely that this is the last time fans will hear from Abby. She definitely has more projects in the works.
Source: Abby Lee Miller