Lifetime’s hit reality show Dance Moms might be the stepping stone for projecting starlets to fame, from Maddie Ziegler to Chloe Lukasiak, but the focus (and drama) of the show has always been on the moms. So, what about the dads of the stars?
While the series is all about the moms clashing with dance instructor Abby Lee Miller, there are loving and supportive dads in the picture too behind the scenes — they just prefer to remain off camera!
Although the fathers tend to take a backseat to all the hoopla over dance competitions, some eagle-eyed and curious fans have looked for them on social media to see their unwavering support for their famous daughters.
Greg Gisoni, Maddie’s stepdad, is so encouraging of her fame to the point where she even admitted that he’s more present in her life than her father, Kurt Ziegler, was.
“I don’t see as much of my dad. I live with my stepdad, who’s awesome,” she said during a may 2015 interview with The Telegraph. “He’s like my best friend. I usually see my dad on holidays, like Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve – definitely not Christmas, though, because all my presents are at my house.”
Maddie’s mother, Melissa Gisoni, once opened up about the impact that Dance Moms had on her first marriage to Kurt.
“My ex-to-be claims that dance has ruined our marriage,” Melissa said back in 2011. It was made clear that Kurt did not want his daughters, Maddie and Mackenzie, on the show at all.
For Greg’s part, he typically stays off of social media and from the public eye in general. However, his unverified Twitter account includes the sweet bio that proves how much he values his family.
“I am the proud father and husband of Maddie, Mackenzie and Melissa. They are honored to be on the hit show Dance Moms on Lifetime,” the Twitter bio reads.
According to Greg’s LinkedIn profile, he currently works as the vice president of the energy company New Plants Engineering.
Aside from Greg, other Dance Moms alumni have given their hard-working dads the occasional shout-out via social media. In June 2016, Chloe shared a rare selfie with her father, Marc Lukasiak, via Instagram.
“Happy Father’s Day to the best dad a girl could ever have. I love you so much,” she wrote in her sweet caption.
Check out the gallery below to see what the dads of Dance Moms look like.
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