“Dance Moms”' Abby Lee Miller regrets being 'harsh' to students who didn't have 'talent': 'They weren't gonna get it'

She didn't “want to hurt anyone’s feelings” with her critiques and was just trying to get them to "be the best that they can be."

Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller may not be proud of the comments she made on the reality show, but she’s not exactly sashaying away from them either.

In a preview clip from an upcoming episode of ABC News’ IMPACT X Nightline investigative series, the infamous instructor was asked if she’d like to take back any of the barbed remarks she made to her aspiring pupils and their parents while on the series.

“Absolutely. Yes, I would,” Miller replied. “Because no matter how harsh I was on the kid, they weren’t gonna get it. They just didn’t have the talent. They didn’t have it.”

Nightline anchor Juju Chang then interjected to clarify Miller’s response, asking, “You’re saying you regret it not because you hurt the kids’ feelings, but because it was pointless?”

Miller, however, maintained that she didn’t “want to hurt anyone’s feelings” with her critiques and that they were just part of her way to get them to "be the best that they can be."

The coach was known for her cutthroat teaching methods on the show, which often involved yelling at students, giving away their solos as a result of arguments with their parents, or belittling them to the point of tears. A handful of Miller's students — including JoJo Siwa, Chloé Lukasiak, Brooke Hyland, Paige Hyland, Kendall Vertes, and Kalani Hilliker — recently reflected on their complicated feelings towards her in a trailer for their upcoming Dance Moms reunion, which airs tonight on Lifetime.

“It’s hard to say I forgive her when she did so many nasty things to me,” Hyland explained at the time. Vertes added, “It’s just so bizarre that dance can get to that.”

Among those who chose not to return for the reunion were two of the show's biggest stars, Kenzie and Maddie Ziegler. In a 2022 interview with Cosmopolitan, Maddie explained she and her sister had not been in contact with Miller since the pair left the show in 2016 and didn't plan to speak to her ever again.

"For the longest time, we felt so guilty,” Maddie said at the time. “She trained me, she helped me, but also, I knew I would be okay without her and I was sick of being in a toxic environment.”

Dance Moms: The Reunion airs May 1 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. IMPACT x Nightline’s "Dance Moms: Behind the Curtain" will be available to stream May 2 on Hulu. Watch Miller discuss her comments in the clip above.

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