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Dance Moms: A New Era was released on Hulu on August 7, 2024, and fans of the iconic original show couldn't help but recall the original Lifetime show. Glo Hampton is heading A New Era after taking over from Abby Lee Miller, who led Dance Moms for eight seasons from 2011 to 2019.
Season 9 of the show aired in 2024 and saw the dancers and their moms reacting to clips from the previous seasons. While the show was extremely popular, a lot of Abby's students left midway due to multiple physical and mental health reasons.
Among these were sisters Maddie and Mackenzie Ziegler, who left in 2016. They left the show to prioritize their mental health, according to Maddie. She told Cosmopolitan in a 2022 interview that the show and its stressful environment were impacting their mental health.
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Fans loved the Ziegler sisters due to their dancing talent and winning streak. They appeared on six consecutive seasons of Dance Moms with their mother, Melissa Gisoni. However, they dropped out in 2016.
While they were prioritizing their mental health, when the two sisters left, fans felt a gap that the sisters' exit left. Since then, Maddie has taken to several publications to talk about the things that drove her to make the decision.
The reason why Maddie Ziegler left Dance Moms after six seasons
Abby Lee Miller, the dance coach for the young girls on Dance Moms, was known for her systematic scheduling, which often brought out the best in them. However, she was also known for her harsh coaching style, which created an environment that affected the young girls.
In an interview with Cosmopolitan in 2022, Maddie Ziegler said that when she was a preteen, she had more stress than she did once she left. She added that whenever she sees fans posting clips from Dance Moms, she is often unable to recall those things happening as she has "dissociated so much from the time."
"I had more stress at that age than I did once I left. I have dissociated so much from that time. I’ll see fans post scenes from Dance Moms and I’m like, 'I literally don’t even remember that happening'." Maddie said.
She told the publication that she felt like she needed to leave to take care of her mental health, and explained how her and her sister's exit impacted Abby Lee Miller. The dancer said that her former coach was "distraught" when she and Mackenzie left the show, which led them to feel guilty for taking the step.
Explaining why she left the show, Maddie said that although Abby had trained and helped her, she knew she "would be okay without her [Abby]." She added that she was "sick of being in a toxic environment" and realized that it wasn't something she wanted to continue doing.
Maddie also elaborated on how the intense competition was influencing her in the wrong way. She said that because she won significantly, she was known as the "girl who always wins," but that it was bad for the times when she lost. The dancer said that it felt worse because Abby had taught them that losing meant "the end of the world."
Maddie also spoke about her teacher's attitude towards winning and said that they were taught that if they didn't get the trophy or the crown, they were "less than." She noted that it was "the worst way to train a kid."
Maddie also told the publication that she and her family had been trying to leave the show for several seasons before they actually left. However, she said that the contract made things tough for them.
About her relationship with Abby, Maddie said that she hadn't spoken to the star since she left the show and that she was at peace now.
Maddie has had a successful career after she left Dance Moms and has been a part of a few other dance reality shows. In 2014, she also starred in the music video for Sia's song Chandelier. It is worth noting that Maddie was still on the show at the time.
She has been a judge on So You Think You Can Dance in 2016, played the role of Velma in West Side Story, and in 2023, starred in a movie called Fitting In.
For more updates on Maddie's life, fans can follow her on Instagram at @maddieziegler.
