All The Tea That’s Going To Be Spilled

Dance Moms: The Reunion is set to grace our screens soon and if the teasers are anything to go by, this is going to be one messy event. Unsurprisingly, the person at the centre of most of the drama is JoJo Siwa.

Dance Moms: The Reunion is a two-hour special event that sees most of the original cast members of the reality show — including the mums! — reunite to reflect on the series and how it went on to shape their lives.

If you never watched it, the show followed the child dance students of Abby Miller, a controversial dance instructor known for her toxic and abusive teaching methods.

The reunion is going to be a doozy of an episode, with lots of tea spilled and childhood trauma resurfaced (I hope those poor girls are paid well). We’re rounding up the biggest revelations from the Dance Moms reunion, so take a seat and get cozy.

Who is in Dance Moms: The Reunion?

The Dance Moms alums that appear in the reunion special are JoJo Siwa, Chloé Lukasiak, Brooke Hyland, Paige Hyland, Kendall Vertes and Kalani Hilliker.

Nia Sioux and Maddie and Kenzie Ziegler (as in, the very same Maddie who went on to become SIA‘s muse) are absent — which does not go unnoticed. 

Abby Miller also does not make an appearance — according to insider tea, it’s because the other former contestants refuse to go on if she was there.

“At this point, everyone has gone through different eras, had time to reflect and there’s been a lot that Abby put them through emotionally and physically and they just didn’t want to relive that,” an insider revealed to PEOPLE.

“Some of those involved decided that they would only be a part of the reunion if Abby wasn’t. The girls were able to speak their minds more openly without her there.”

The 3 Biggest Revelations From Dance Moms: The Reunion (So Far)

JoJo Siwa defends Abby Miller

Abby Miller often got into altercations with the mums of her students because of her harsh teaching method, leaving some of them “traumatised”, according to one insider source. She’s also been criticised for inappropriate and sexual costumes for little girls, problematic comments about young boys, and alleged racism towards non-white students — but not everyone had a problem with her methods.

JoJo Siwa, arguably the most famous of the students on Dance Moms, appears to be grateful for Abby’s tutelage, even if it was cruel.

“This is going to be a little controversial to say, I think, but, to me, Abby was always right,” she says in a sneak peek of the episode.

“I did interrupt two adults talking. If I was a mess and a beat off, she wasn’t just yelling at me because she wanted to yell at me — I actually was a mess and was a beat off.

“One thing that I’ve learned really working insane in Hollywood is that that’s normal. And it’s scary that that’s normal, but it taught me how it survive in this industry. It truly is so tough.”

Okay but baby girl but just because Abby was right about your mistakes, doesn’t mean she or anyone else can speak to you that way! Honestly, no wonder JoJo is so immune to the internet hate against her. Someone protect these poor girls, dear lord.

Chloé Luasiak realised she had unresolved trauma because of the Dance Moms reunion

Chloé Luasiak told PEOPLE that the reunion made her realise she “should probably go to therapy”.

“I got things I need to heal from, but it was good to look back and just appreciate. I didn’t expect it at all when they brought up the idea of a reunion. I was just like, ‘Yeah, that sounds good.’,” she said.

“I think immediately after the show, we all needed our space in some way.

“I think after an emotionally charged environment like that, I think you need to step away, heal, just take time for yourself.”

JoJo Siwa calls out Maddie Ziegler for not attending the reunion

JoJo and Kendall appear to call out the Zieglers for avoiding the reunion in a snippet in the trailer.  

“We would not be here without Dance Moms. It was literally the stepping stone into who we are today,” Kendall says to the group.

In another clip, JoJo adds: “Them not being here is kind of like, ‘Let me erase my past, pretend it never happened, shove it down the drain.’ When it’s like – that’s why you are who you are.”

Is there a trailer?

Yes, peep it below.

When will Dance Moms: The Reunion air?

Dance Moms: The Reunion will air on 1 May 2024 in the US, but there’s no word on an Australian release date.

In the meantime, you can relive the vicarious trauma of Dance Moms on 9Now.