Photo: itsjojosiwa/ TikTok/ Lifetime/ YouTube
How did she put up with so much?
By Victoria Soliz — Written on Jan 11, 2023
Since the show’s ending in 2019, Dance Moms has become notorious for the freakouts not only from the mothers of the dancers but also from famed teacher herself, Abby Lee Miller.
Most of the girls who started out with Miller were children and now that they’ve grown up, plenty of them have spoken about how their experience really was with the company.
One such dancer has been with JoJo Siwa and she doesn’t shy away from showcasing just how hurt she really was by Miller- and other dancers.
JoJo Siwa reacted to an old ‘Dance Moms’ clip where dancers gave her many reasons as to why she should be dropped from the company.
Siwa has been very open about her trauma from the show and company on her TikTok page, even making a few jokes sometimes about it.
But recently, the 19-year-old dancer decided to highlight the not-so-funny parts that left her feeling singled out.
The clip showcases Miller and the other dancers highlighting reasons as to why Siwa shouldn’t be in the company anymore, as a sort of ‘lesson’ to the then 9-year-old.
Reasons included Siwa being ‘loud,’ being ‘off’ in group dancers, too ‘crazy,’ and (according to the dancers), she took “opportunities from others who have been there longer.”
According to Miller, it was a lesson to teach Siwa that “she deserves nothing” due to her attitude problems.
“You’re lucky to even be a guest here. If you’re so good, maybe you don’t need to be part of the Abby Lee Miller Dance Company,” Miller said. “She deserves nothing. Don’t have an attitude that you are entitled in this world- you are not. You deserve nothing.”
As the young Siwa begins to cry, Miller tells her to “get out” because there’s no use for crying children.
Other clips in the video showcased some of the verbal abuse Siwa suffered from not only Miller but other dancers and other moms.
Many in the comments were sympathetic towards Siwa.
Despite the clip being over 10 years old, people are still in disbelief that Miller was allowed to treat children like this.
“As a mother, I don’t get how ANY of these women allowed kids to do this. How?!” one user wrote.
Others expressed their sympathies but pointed out how much stronger it made her in the end.
“The manipulation and hate that all of you went through is horrific! So happy to see you on top and thriving! You are so strong!” another user wrote.
Although Siwa has opened up about the trauma around the show, she still says she’s thankful for Miller and everything the coach has done for her.
In a 2020 interview with US Weekly, Siwa opened up about how she’s still in contact with Miller and feels “sad” that not a lot of people talk to her anymore.
"It’s just sad because Abby really is a good person. Even though you see her yelling and screaming at children on TV, like Abby made seven stars. I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for her,” she said.
"She's gone through it in these last years, and she doesn't have that many people. It's just sad. I try to be there for everybody, you know? There's enough love!"
Victoria Soliz is a writer with YourTango who covers news and entertainment content. Her work explores pop culture trends, film and TV, and celebrity news