JoJo Siwa first danced into our lives at the young age of 9, marketing herself as the bubbly “JoJo with a Bow Bow.” The tactic worked, because a decade later she remains one of the most famous dancers to come from Dance Moms and the tutelage of Abby Lee Miller. But it seems the time has come for Siwa to shed the rainbows and unicorns, and the music video for her new song “Karma” debuts a darker persona. Her former dance teacher had some strong opinions about the rebrand, and the dancer had some thoughts of her own, after the “stuipid” decision was made to exclude Miller from the upcoming Dance Moms reunion.
JoJo Siwa Talks Dance Moms Reunion Without Abby Lee Miller
A preview for the upcoming Dance Moms reunion — which is set to air May 1 on Lifetime — appears to show JoJo Siwa commenting on members of the group who did not return (likely Mackenzie and Maddie Ziegler and Nia Sioux), saying it’s like they’re trying to erase the past. It turns out she’s got similarly passionate thoughts about Abby Lee Miller not being invited to the reunion. Siwa said in an interview with Access Hollywood:
They didn’t ask her to be part of the reunion, which honestly, for me, I thought was stupid. I think you can’t have a Dance Moms reunion without Abby.
Abby Lee Miller’s exclusion supposedly stems from the anger that still exists between Miller and the Dance Moms stars, who include Chloé Lukasiak, Brooke Hyland, Paige Hyland, Kendall Vertes and their mothers. Producers supposedly asked JoJo Siwa to call their former teacher during the reunion’s filming, which she refused to do. Siwa explained:
The producers had asked me to call her, and I said no, because her relationship with Chloé, Brooke and Paige, and Kendall really, is not the same as me and Kalani. Me and Kalani are very civil with Abby, but those other ones, they don’t have a good relationship [with her]. And it’s not up to me to say who should or who shouldn’t. I don’t want to put anyone in that situation. It wasn’t worth it to me, putting Abby in that situation. Also putting Brooke, Paige and Chloé in that situation. I’m not down.
Regardless of how much JoJo Siwa went through on Dance Moms, she maintains respect for Abby Lee Miller, and that was very much reciprocated when her former instructor got her first glimpse at Siwa’s rebranding.
Abby Lee Miller Reacts To JoJo Siwa’s ‘Karma’ Music Video
As JoJo Siwa mentioned above, she has maintained a good relationship with Abby Lee Miller over the years, and her former dance teacher was sure to voice her support when Siwa came out as LGBTQ+ in 2021. The singer’s queerness is on display in a big way in the music video for “Karma,” and Miller couldn’t have been prouder as she reacted to it live on TikTok. As far as the rebrand goes, though, Miller wasn’t sure it was accurate to call it that, saying she saw the same talented dancer she’s always known. In her words:
Everyone is making such a big deal about her rebranding. JoJo is doing incredible dancing with a lot of paint on her face. It used to be stars and rainbows and pink and lavender and turquoise, and now it's black. It’s still paint on her face, and it's still her doing incredible dancing. So I don't know if it's so much as a rebranding or just maturing, getting older, wanting to show another side of her.
Abby Lee Miller had a blast watching “Karma,” complimenting the choreography, JoJo’s beauty and the “over-the-top” costumes. Final thoughts?
I thought it was absolutely amazing. I'm going to watch it over and over and over again.
It looks like JoJo Siwa finally made it to the top of the pyramid after all. Dance Moms: The Reunion will air at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, May 1, on Lifetime. Be sure to check out our 2024 TV schedule to see what other premieres are coming up.
