JoJo Siwa Talks to Abby Lee Miller ‘On a Weekly Basis’: ‘Great Human in My Life (Exclusive)
The ‘Dance Moms’ alum tells PEOPLE her relationship with Miller “is great”
JoJo Siwa and Abby Lee Miller are still going strong years after Siwa’s final bow on Dance Moms.
On Thursday, April 25, Siwa, 20, and some of her costars stepped out in New York City for the red carpet premiere of Lifetime’s highly anticipated reunion special, Dance Moms: The Reunion.
During the event, Siwa spoke to PEOPLE about her relationship with the infamous instructor, who was not in attendance.
“Abby, honestly, my relationship is great,” said Siwa. “I talk to her on a weekly basis. Great human in my life.”
A source previously told PEOPLE that some cast members only agreed to participate in the reunion special if Miller, 58, was not involved. Miller was never invited to join, per the source.
Although Siwa reunited with costars like Chloé Lukasiak, Brooke Hyland, Paige Hyland, Kendall Vertes and Kalani Hilliker on Thursday, a couple of other familiar faces were missing, notably Maddie Ziegler and her sister Mackenzie “Kenzie” Ziegler.
Siwa told PEOPLE she doesn’t “really have” a relationship with the sisters “anymore.”
“Not a bad thing, not a great thing, we just don’t really communicate,” she explained. “Sure, if we saw each other we would be great friends, but we just don’t see each other.”
She added that there is no “bad blood” between her and her fellow Dance Moms alums, including Nia Sioux.
Siwa said, “Nia, I actually do see on occasion. We’ve always been very friendly with each other. We saw each other at the Super Bowl. Yeah, no bad blood anywhere, which I’m grateful for, because bad blood sucks.”
In March, Lifetime released the trailer for the two-hour special which features most of the original cast and their mothers as they come together to reflect on their most memorable moments and answer burning fan questions about their time on the show. Though most of the girls decided to opt in, other OG cast members like Sioux, Maddie, and Kenzie were noticeably absent in the network’s teaser, as well as Miller.
Ahead of the premiere, Lukasiak exclusively told PEOPLE how deep the cast delved into both the positive and negative experiences they had as child stars on Dance Moms during the reunion.
“It made me realize I should probably go to therapy,” she confessed. “I got things I need to heal from, but it was good to look back and just appreciate. I didn’t expect it at all when they brought up the idea of a reunion. I was just like, ‘Yeah, that sounds good.'”
Despite keeping in touch with the girls over the years, Lukasiak said that the timing of the reunion “made the most sense” as her costars needed time away to process their time on the show.
“I think immediately after the show, we all needed our space in some way,” she explained. “Whether we left in season 4 or season 5 or 8 or whatever. I think after an emotionally charged environment like that, I think you need to step away, heal, just take time for yourself.”
Dance Moms: The Reunion premieres Wednesday, May 1 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
