The Dance Moms host seems to be fighting different wars on two separate fronts, both of which could see Abby Lee Miller on TV a lot less next year. Earlier this week, Miller said that she might not be showing up for portions of the upcoming next season of the Lifetime dance series because of conflicts with a Dance Moms producer. This comes as Miller is battling the feds on her indictment of 20 counts of fraud with a possible five years behind bars and $5 million in fines – a case she now wants a further delay in.
“If I’ve gone missing from a few episodes in Season 6, don’t believe anything anybody says,” said Miller in a December 7 newsletter about Dance Moms’ upcoming season, which premieres next month. “No doubt, I am fighting with a Producer,” she added, not naming names on the series from Collins Avenue Productions.
Complaining about “cockamamie ideas,” the sometimes-eruptive Miller says her potential absence of from the new season of Dance Moms is because she wants to be a good role model to her students. “When a grown man tells me he wants one of my kids to portray a pregnant teen and wear a baby bump — I have to put my foot down,” Miller said in the newsletter, indicating that the producers wanted to bend reality for reality TV more than a bit. “If that means not moving my foot and not working and getting fined in the process, well that’s a risk I am willing to take to protect my girls,” Miller wrote. “I am always teaching principles, integrity, and values in addition to dance technique. It is important for me that the girls learn to stand up and fight for what they believe in!”
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Collins Avenue did not respond to Deadline for comment about Miller’s threat or allegations. The new season of Dance Moms is set to debut at 9 PM January 5 on Lifetime.
Miller has missed parts of previous seasons due to scheduling and other conflicts, so it’s likely a contingency plan of sorts is in place for Season 6 if she bolts for a bit. However, a much longer-lasting source of the potential lack of Abby Lee Miller on Dance Moms could come from her grinding legal troubles. Multimillion-dollar troubles that Miller tried to hit a bit of a pause button on today.
“Additional time is needed for undersigned counsel to fully review the discovery material provided and to inspect and review the material located at the FBI’s Pittsburgh Office in order to perform a complete investigation of the facts and law before making informed decisions concerning the filing of pretrial motions,” said Miller’s lawyers Robert Ridge and Brandon Verdream of Pittsburgh firm Clark Hill PLC on Thursday in a filing in federal court in the Pennsylvania city (read it here).
Earlier this fall the Dance Moms host was accused of allegedly hiding money, more than $755,000 in fees and other assets from the show from her bankruptcy court proceedings. With Miller’s Chapter 11 reorganization moving forward, the judge in the matter got wind of Miller’s other income sources only when he saw her on TV one night. Watching Dance Moms, he wondered why no significant financial documents about the series had ever crossed his docket and where all the money Miller must be making was.
Having been indicted for on October 13 and entered a not guilty plea on November 2, the reality TV host today is seeking a second extension for when she has to submit pretrial paperwork in her case. Because of the new material presented to Miller’s attorneys, the U.S. Attorney’s office, the FBI and IRS and yet-unseen material, the Dance Moms host wants the current December 17 deadline pushed until February 1 before she is required to respond to the government’s case.
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Magistrate Judge Cynthia Reed Eddy granted Miller’s last extension request of November 3 that same day. No ruling on this latest extension has been entered in the case so far.
wait, she wants to be a good role model?
Why not?
Is that weird ? Why she should not be a role model for girls ?
WTF? A producer suggested a story for a dance she felt was inappropriate. She shut down the suggestion – it was never filmed. Then she refuses to work, holds up production and says she wants to be an “EXAMPLE” for the girls who want to be in show business? Ever heard “the show must go on…” Or, don’t be an ass to the hard working people behind the scenes?
AND… she’s accused of fraud in the Federal Courts? LOL.
I will finally watch this show! She’s such a pro!
“A role model for her girls.” Of belligerence and bullying, perhaps, but that’s it.
This story makes no sense. 1) A producer pitched her an idea for a dance she felt was inappropriate. She shut it down. 2) Then, she refuses to work for “multiple episodes” because she was morally offended? 3) She’s been indicted by the Federal Government on 20 counts of FRAUD. 4) She wants to be a “role model” for the girls on the show who want to be in show biz? 5) What happened to “the show must go on?” LOL. I am so going to watch this show now.
i liked this comment better above when you posted it above as “David”. Do you work for the producer?
@anonymous producer – if you know abby miller, this story makes perfect sense :) Everyone has their own ‘code’ of morals. Just because they don’t match yours and they seem contradictory doesn’t mean a thing.
Lol I Stop Reading When she said She Wants 2 be a Good Roll model lol She Will Never be a Good Roll Model What a Laugh She Mentally Abuse The kids all the Time .I Would Love Not 2 Even see her in The Show Anymore .
please waste someone else’s time with Anonymous comments
I don’t believe it actually says that this was a suggestion for a dance routine. It could very well have been a story idea to fake a pregnancy.
Not at all invested in the show or protecting her. I just wouldn’t be surprised if the suggestion was as gross as it sounds.
Time to cancel the show……
I doubt she was ever a good role model. and just how dumb is she. Did she really think nobody knew she was getting paid for the tv show?
The only way she put her foot down on this one was if Maddie was the one they wanted to portray pregnancy. That is the only value Abby has. So hopefully we can look forward to some Abby-free programs.
Hopefully Abbie goes to jail. She u s so freaking annoying. My daughter loves the show but I cannot stand Abbie. She is j y st rude. The dancing should be about the girls not Abbie or the idiotic parents.
Everybody blame Abby but nobody is capable of seeing that the mothers are guilty of taking their children ,according to them , to a place that is not healthy for the kids .Children are not in command of themselves. Not to mention mothers took their children to Abby’s company since they were about 3 .
My girls danced for years for an amazing teacher and role model. They are in their late 20’s now and they and I are still very close. She still calls my daughters competition class the best Dance mom class ever. I remember joking about a costume when my oldest was 13 saying it was a little grown up. She was ready to change the costume because I said that. That’s a good role model l. I’ve met couple of the dance mom’s because they came to our studio just a couple of years ago and the girls taught a master class to the girlw. They are very nice and the girls very sweet and Profesional. They stay with Abby because she is an amazing teacher when it’s all aboutique the dance and they belive in that area they wouldn’t get that quality elsewhere.
It is the most negative show because of the moms. The moms show vile personalities filled with disgusting, degrading and demeaning dialogues. How can one see Abby as an unfit teacher? She knows what she is doing and does it well. The moms are the ones who are showing scum – criticizing her in front of their children, pulling the children out when they think they are being wronged, dressing well, but have no jobs, however, they could do a show on how they find things to gossip and how to gossip everywhere. What behaviors do they want their daughters to emulate? And why, if they are so upset with Abby, don’t they quit. Weird. Stupid.
Her calling herself a positive role model…so far from the truth. She is nothing but a physco who attacks, intimidates, and belittles those she is supposed to be supporting and teaching. Her way or the highway…or she retaliates against the kids. Very adult and professional!!!! Anyone who resorts to those tactics is suffering from low self-esteem. Those mothers are as much at fault for taking their girls back time and time again. I guess being on TV is more important than finding another dance teacher?
She teaches how to use rage as atoll to inspire fear which is so destructive and I’m sure the cortisol that is squirting out of the poor girls adrenals is fundamentally changing brain connections in their young minds. Her abuse and bias knows no bounds.. Maybe the ad sponsors will pull out now that she’s taught them the great values of lying to the courts, irs and family, workers etc. shame on her irresponsible behavior n shame on Jill Melissa n jessalyn n Kira for allowing the torture and abuse to continue for the world to see. Surely there is an agent that would take these girls on together or separately. Unless they want to grow up to be dancing in same old rinkydink competitions??!!! Holly help them get a grip and get out, en massse take me to Miley and watch me take off