Turns out not every Dance Moms alum would put former teacher Abby Lee Miller at the bottom of their pyramid.
"Abby's been very, very supportive of my career," JoJo Siwa told E! News in an exclusive interview, explaining why she's remained tight with the former studio owner years after she exited stage left from the Lifetime series. "Of course, we've had good moments on Dance Moms and off Dance Moms, and then bad moments on and off. But she's a massive part in why my career is what it is today."
And while Abby has already given the 20-year-old singer high marks for her new, more mature era, including her latest single "Karma", JoJo said when she first signed on to be under Abby's tutelage, she was well aware she'd be saving her tears for her pillow.
Initially, continued the star, "I went in craving Abby's approval, then I realized I was never gonna get it. And I didn't care about it."
Because while her mom Jessalynn Siwa was busy advocating for solos and more time in the Abby Lee Dance Company spotlight, "I didn't come in to be on ALDC," said JoJo. "I came in to be on Dance Moms." Truthfully, JoJo "hated" dance, she confessed. "I really did."
So, no, even at 11, she didn't care about her place on Abby's famed pyramid or in the group dance.
"My mom would get so like, 'I'm going to ask her to put you in the front of the group dance, you should not be in the back corner,'" recalled JoJo. "I was like, 'Mom it literally doesn't matter. I'm dancing with Kalani, I am not going to be front and center. Not gonna happen.'"
As for holding it down on the last row, reasoned JoJo, "There's more airtime than the top of the pyramid."
Fellow season four arrival Kalani, meanwhile, showed up in Pittsburgh with dreams of living on the dance floor.
"I really was there for the love of dance," the 23-year-old told E!. "I cared more about the dance side of everything. I cared about being in the front. I cared about having the solo. I cared about having the best legs and feet."
As such, teased JoJo, "Abby loved you."
And the feeling remains at least somewhat mutual for the Arizona resident, who pivoted into self-care with the May 2023 release of her beauty and wellness line Kare x Kalani.
"She brought me in, and I would not be where I'm at or have the career that I have without Abby," explained Kalani. "And I think that I have to give a lot of credit to her."
Though she's clear that doesn't mean condoning Abby's harshest critiques. And she's not exactly turning to her for tips on how to teach her own students. "She obviously didn't treat me the best at some times," noted Kalani. "But I think I was able to heal from it and understand as I became an adult."
Which is why she's been able to team up with Abby for some recent projects.
"I just did a meet up with her," Kalani recounted. "And she was like, 'Listen to Miss Kalani,' and I'm like, 'Miss Kalani?!' I was like, 'You're being nice to me?'" Now able to communicate with her as an adult, rather than a child who's terrified that everyone truly is replaceable, "I have a good relationship with her," said Kalani. "Not that I forgive her for things that she's done to my friends or myself, but I'm just able to move past it."
Of course, she's not the only Dance Moms alum who's thriving in her solo era. Check out why Abby's former stars are now holding court atop their own personal pyramids.
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