UPDATE 6/6/2020: Lifetime has canceled its plans to air Abby’s Virtual Dance Off after multiple racism accusations were made per Entertainment Weekly. A premiere date was never announced for the series however it was supposed to start airing this summer.
UPDATE 06/05/2020: Adriana has rejected Abby’s apology. She called it “disingenuous.”
Original: Abby Lee Miller has come out with a profuse apology after two black Dance Moms alums accused her of making racist statements about their daughters while working on the Lifetime reality show. The 53-year-old choreographer and Abby Lee Dance Company founder was initially called out by season eight mom Adriana Smith, whose then seven-year-old daughter Kamryn was an aspiring dancer on the show. Adriana claimed on June 3 that Kamryn overheard Abby saying she was only on the squad because it needed “a sprinkle of color,” and that Abby claimed Adriana grew up in the “hood.”
“I genuinely understand and deeply regret how my words have affected and hurt those around me in the past, particularly those in the Black community. To Kamryn, Adriana and anyone else I’ve hurt, I am truly sorry,” Abby wrote in a June 4 Instagram post in black lettering against a pink backdrop.
“I realize that racism can come not just from hate, but also from ignorance. No matter what the cause, it is harmful and it is my fault. While I cannot change the past or remove the harm I have done, I promise to educate myself, learn, grow and do better. While I hope to one day earn your forgiveness, I recognize that words alone are not enough. I understand it takes time and genuine change,” Abby added. The Lifetime star previously announced on May 5, 2020 that she was leaving Dance Moms after nine years.
The day prior Adriana, let Abby have it. She captioned a long six-slide Instagram post, “I couldn’t think of a more perfect day to address my experience with Abby Lee Miller. Wanna know the truth? Wanna know my TRUTH? Swipe Right to find out I’m sure most people will say ‘why did you go on the show?’ Auditioned and booked the show why wouldn’t we go? Call me naive, I thought with cancer and jail time maybe she had changed just a little bit. Well #season8 proved that was a complete lie.”
Adriana wrote in her allegations about Abby, “I recently posted on my FB that racism is not something we can disagree on and still be friends, which in turn is why we are not friends. A statement from her that sticks in my mind to this day during my time on DMS8 is ‘I know you grew up in the HOOD with only a box of 8 crayons, but I grew up in the country club with a box of 64 — don’t be stupid.'”
“This my friends is not something or a statement that can be googled. Ask yourself what does that mean? This to me shows that you think you are better than me and in higher rank and all together superior to ME!” Adriana continued. The final picture in her Instagram slides showed a pic of herself holding boxes of 8 and 64 Crayola crayons, with Kamryn in a t-shirt that read “8 crayons” with the coloring sticks below it.
Adriana also alleged, “Do you remember you told me, ‘Do you want me to tell you why you are really here?’ LOL as if I didn’t know…again showing your superiority. Let me remind you what you said in case you forgot. You told me to ‘LOOK in the MIRROR! That’s the only reason you are here!’ Kam told me she heard ‘they need a sprinkle of color!'” HollywoodLife.com has reached out to Adriana for her reaction to Abby’s apology.
A second mom came forward, with Camille Bridges sharing in an e-mail to E! News her alleged experiences with Abby when her daughter Camryn Bridges was on Dance Moms. “[Abby] tried to spin Camryn as being the poor one and there on scholarship. I shut that down immediately,” Camille alleged. “She loves appropriating our culture and never appreciating it. She did not give black choreographers on the show acknowledgment of their work. She continuously put Camryn in afros.” We’ve also reached out to Camille for her response to what Abby had to say.
