We all remember the dynamic sibling dance duo that was Maddie and Mackenzie Ziegler on Dance Moms! The sisters made their debut on the Lifetime reality show during its first season in 2011 and starred alongside their mom, Melissa Gisoni, until departing from the series during season six. Since then, the two have opened up multiple times on their experience on the show and why they decided to ultimately leave.
Keep reading to see why they left Dance Moms.
Why Did Maddie Ziegler Leave ‘Dance Moms’?
Both sisters have revealed that they left the show for their own mental health, as they couldn’t deal with the “drama” that was often sensationalized for the show.
“I had more stress at that age than I did once I left,” Maddie told Cosmopolitan in June 2022. “I have dissociated so much from that time. I’ll see fans post scenes from Dance Moms and I’m like, ‘I literally don’t even remember that happening.'”
The former child star added that she felt like she needed to leave Dance Moms for her own mental health.
“She [dance coach Abby Lee Miller] was distraught [when my sister and I left]. For the longest time, we felt so guilty,” she explained to Cosmo. “She trained me, she helped me, but also, I knew I would be OK without her and I was sick of being in a toxic environment. I was like, ‘This is not for me. I can’t do this.’ I haven’t spoken to her since.” She added, “I feel at peace [now].”
On top of that, the dancer admitted that the sisters actually tried to leave for years before eventually exiting the show in season 6.
“My family and I really tried to leave for the last three seasons,” Maddie recalled. “But when you’re in a contract, it’s really hard. Eventually, I finally got out.”
Why Did Mackenzie Ziegler Leave ‘Dance Moms’?
For Mackenzie, she was tired of the competitive side of things on Dance Moms.
“In the last few years I was on [Dance Moms], I just didn’t take crap from anyone. I was so bossy and I would talk back and I would get in so much trouble … but I wasn’t very competitive,” she recalled to BBC in June 2020. “I wanted to dance for fun, and everyone else wanted to compete, so I was just over it. I was like, ‘I’m just gonna dance and have fun and you can yell at me if you want.’”
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