Star choreographer Abby Lee Miller peaked as the face of Lifetime’s reality series, Dance Moms which launched the careers of popular dancers Maddie Ziegler, JoJo Siwa, Kendall Vertes, and others through its eight-season run at the Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC).
However, Miller’s illustrious career saw its downfall with her 2017 conviction for bank fraud as she served a year in prison and was eventually diagnosed with cancer that left her wheelchair-bound. Her departure from the reality dance series was met with accusations of toxic behavior from former students like Ziegler and Kalani Hilliker. She currently teaches dance to children in her LA studio.
Following her prison release and cancer recovery, Abby Lee Miller was determined to start afresh and began with the famed Abby Lee Dance Studio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which served as the primary location for Dance Moms. She confirmed in January 2023 that she had sold it and would be turned into a daycare center, per Today.
Soon after, Miller, notorious for her strict manners, teased a potential new reality TV series that was not yet attached to a network but would fundamentally be a “dramatic” new version of Dance Moms. She told Entertainment Tonight that it would also feature older students alongside the little ones with their mothers.
The dance mogul followed it up with the launch of a podcast, Leave It On The Dance Floor in June 2023 where she and her guest stars discuss all things Dance Moms, from fan-favorite episodes to the ebbs and flows of Miller’s long career. She also reacts to and comments on other dance reality shows like Dancing with the Stars.
Besides her reality TV endeavors and podcast, Miller also teaches dance to children in a new Abby Lee Dance Company branch set in Los Angeles. The studio was originally established in 2015 when Dance Moms Season 5 was filmed, but after her prison sentence, the LA studio was closed down and later sold.
In October 2023, the ALDC founder guest-starred on the E! reality show, House of Villains as a contestant to win the cash prize of $200,000 and the title of America’s Ultimate Supervillain.
Miller has continued with choreography in a new ALDC studio set in the capital city of California that trains teams of students for national and regional competitions and also coaches aspiring dancers virtually through Zoom sessions. She also provides Masterclasses and Meet and Greet sessions worldwide during her tours.