For almost seven seasons now, Dance Moms has provided plenty of drama for viewers but the biggest drama may have been happening off-camera. Earlier this week, Abby Lee Miller, the instructor who runs the dance company at the center of the show, posted a social media rant in which she quit the show (in all caps no less). Lifetime pushed on, however, and announced that Cheryl Burke would be taking Miller's place. In the wake of Miller's departure, one other star is taking the opportunity to jump ship. Ashlee Allen will also not be returning to the show.
Ashlee Allen is the mother of Brynn Rumfallo, who became a full-time member of Dance Moms in Season 6, but the two of them won't be returning. Allen told TMZ that she was leaving the show, but it had little to do with Abby Lee Miller's own departure. Though she thinks Dance Moms won't be the same without Miller, Allen is quitting the show due to the Dance Moms producers apparently pushing for sexier dance routines. Allen and her daughter were not okay with this change and are thus taking their dancing somewhere else.
Abby Lee Miller didn't mention anything about the sexier dance routines in her rant against the producers of the show. The dancers on the show range in the age group of 14-16, so any "sexification" that's happening would be fairly inappropriate, and one can hardly blame Ashlee Allen for getting out while the getting's good.
This is only the latest shake-up in a week of shake-ups for Lifetimes reality television show. Abby Lee Miller went off on the producers of the show earlier in the week, writing that she was "being manipulated, disrespected, and used - day in and day out." Though she loves to work with children, producers are a whole other story and it seems like Miller just wasn't willing to put up with it anymore. Lifetime responded by hiring Cheryl Burke, a frequent presence on Dancing with the Stars, as Miller's replacement.
The former host isn't out of the woods yet though as Abby Lee Miller will be having a hearing in May after she plead guilty to tax fraud. Miller was indicted on multiple counts of fraud back in 2015 after it was discovered that she was making more income than she was reporting -- despite filing for bankruptcy in 2010. Miller will have almost a month before she finds out if she's going to prison, which would have put a serious hamper on Season 8 if it were to happen.
Dance Moms Season 7 is currently on hiatus but filming is expected to begin soon. It's currently unknown when the rest of the season will be set up to return to Lifetime later this year, but we'll keep you updated as always. In the meantime, check out to our midseason premiere schedule and our summer TV guide to see what else is available on TV.
