How Dance Moms Alum Kalani Hilliker Feels About Abby Lee Miller

"Dance Moms" alum and mental health advocate Kalani Hilliker told People that she hadn't spoken to her former instructor, Abby Lee Miller, since the conclusion of the Lifetime series. "But she recently just reached out to me and asked me to be on her podcast," she said. "Obviously, I don't agree with everything she's done to other people, but we all make mistakes. So, I thought, 'Why not see if it rekindles?'" One month later, Hilliker joined Miller on "Leave It On The Dance Floor."

The October 2023 episode begins with Hilliker and Miller discussing the positives of their shared experience and the luck that was involved in the success of the show and the dance company itself. Miller was the first to allude to the show and studio's negative repercussions on all involved, but Hilliker was quick to elaborate and offer a different perspective.

Hilliker made it clear that she wasn't on board with all of her ex-coach's behavior, but still expressed her appreciation to the woman who played such a formative role in her life. "I am always grateful for you because I would have never been on the show if it wasn't for you," she said. "You brought me in, and you gave me the opportunity and the life I get to live now. I give a lot of it to you. A lot of people give it to the show, but I was never supposed to be on the show."