Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Abby Lee Miller’s New Show ‘Abby’s Virtual Dance-Off’ Canceled Following Racism Revelations
Following the revelation that Abby Lee Miller made racist comments about her Dance Moms costars, the reality TV star’s new show, Abby’s Virtual Dance-Off, was canceled. Entertainment Weekly confirmed Lifetime isn’t moving forward with the show after Adriana Smith claimed the dance coach was a “closet racist” who said her daughter Kamryn Smith was only cast on season 8 of Dance Moms to give the show “a sprinkle of color.”
The news comes days after Adriana took to Instagram to share her story as black people continue to speak up about the racist treatment they’ve received across the country. After sharing a remark Abby, 53, made about Adriana growing up in the “hood” instead of at a “country club,” the mom recounted the moment she knew she and her daughter had to leave the show.
“As tears streamed down my face, I look over at my 7-year-old and back at the camera and say, ‘This is my EVERYDAY life as a black woman,’” Adriana wrote. “This is nothing new to me. But what I’m not going to have happen is have this racist person have any part of my daughter’s life as of this moment. At that moment, I knew that it was more important for me to show my daughter that she had to stand up for what’s right and not care about anything else.”
Following Adriana’s post, Camryn Bridges’ mom, Camille Bridges, shared a story of her own with E! News. “[Abby] tried to spin Camryn as being the poor one and there on scholarship. I shut that down immediately,” she said. “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. … The woman is a mess. She is incredibly two-faced. She would say the most terrible things on camera, then tell Camryn how she was better than the girls on the team, mainly the ones she trained. It was a traumatic experience that I wish on no one.”
Abby apologized for her behavior on Thursday, June 4. Addressing Adriana and Kamryn specifically, as well as all of “those in the black community,” she wrote, “I am truly sorry. I realize that racism can come not just from hate, but also from ignorance. No matter the cause, [my behavior] 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.”
However, Adriana didn’t accept her apology, calling it “disingenuous.” Neither did Nicaya Wiley, another former Dance Moms star. Sharing the news about Abby’s Virtual Dance-Off’s cancellation, she called out her former coach for not naming her, Camryn or Nia Sioux personally.
“I’m glad Lifetime did the right thing by canceling her show!” Nicaya wrote after sharing her own story. “Her apology wasn’t genuine. … She knows exactly who she offended, so her apology should’ve [been] personalized. Better yet, she could’ve reached out to us all personally and apologized instead of her PR stunt to salvage what’s left of her reputation!” Beyond that, she only had thing to say. “Bye, Abby,” she added with a waving emoji.
