Why Didn’t Maddie, Mackenzie, & Nia Join Dance Moms: The Reunion?

Summary Most OG Dance Moms cast members reunited before filming the reunion, sparking excitement.

Maddie, Mackenzie, and Nia did not attend the reunion due to not wanting to revisit the past.

Dance Moms: The Reunion airs on May 1, 2024, with three episodes and will feature discussions on the impact of the show.

Dance Moms is reuniting its cast of young dancers, and modern superstars, in Lifetime’s Dance Moms: The Reunion. The show centered around Abby Lee Miller’s elite competition team as they trained and competed in competitions. At the heart of the show were the dancers, but the OG moms of Dance Moms brought a level of drama and entertainment that has cemented it as one of the best reality television shows ever. From the iconic dances to the heartfelt bond shared by the dancers, the show was a hit, and now fans will be able to revisit the series.

The cast of Dance Moms: The Reunion features most of the OG cast members, but not all. Chloe Lukasiak, Paige and Brooke Hyland, and Kendall Vertes are featured in the reunion special. However, Nia Sioux, Maddie, and Mackenzie Ziegler did not film for Dance Moms: The Reunion. Nia, Maddie, and Mackenzie were founding team members of Dance Moms. They were a huge part of the show, and fans are wondering why they aren’t participating in Dance Moms: The Reunion.

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Most Of The OG Cast Reunited Before The Reunion

They Were Celebrating Paige’s Birthday

The day before Dance Moms: The Reunion was filmed, the majority of the original cast took to social media to share that they were hanging out together. It was a shocking moment, as the girls and their mothers all live in different parts of the States and are at different stages in life. There had to have been a reason they were all reunited, which, for many of the girls, was Dance Moms: The Reunion. Dance mom Melissa Gisoni posted a group picture of the Dance Moms cast gathered around a table, celebrating Paige Hyland’s birthday.

“The gangs all here!!”

One of the last times the OG cast was together was for one of the biggest Dance Moms fights between dance mom Kelly Hyland and Abby. They got into a heated altercation in the dressing rooms during a competition, where Kelly felt Abby had brought in Kalani Hilliker to replace her two children, Brooke and Paige. Things quickly got physical as Abby walked towards Kelly and motioned her mouth in a biting motion, and Kelly grabbed her hair and pushed her away. Dance Moms was never the same, and the ALDC lost OG members Brooke and Paige.

Maddie, Mackenzie, & Nia Are The Only OGs Who Didn’t Attend The Reunion

Why Didn’t They Choose To Attend?

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Before the Dance Moms: The Reunion trailer was released, it was obvious that a few original members of the show were missing from the reunion. The young women and their mothers posted behind-the-scenes content while filming the reunion. Noticeably, Maddie, Mackenzie Ziegler, and Nia Sioux were absent from all the pictures and videos. Reddit user @Favtreestump shared a screen-recorded video of dance mom Jill Vertes’ Instagram Live answering the question on everyone’s minds: Why weren’t Maddie, Mackenzie, Nia, and their mothers, at the reunion?

“Melissa decided not to come, she was invited, and of course, Maddie and Mackenzie were invited. Nia and Holly were invited, and we’re the ones who showed up."

She also added that dance mom Christi Lukasiak wasn’t there during one day of filming because she was working on another project that had been in the works. Jill’s Instagram Live confirmed all the women and their mothers were invited to attend the reunion, and they had decided to opt-out. Maddie, Mackenzie, and Nia pioneered Abby’s elite competition team that dominated Dance Moms. There was a lot of speculation about why they didn’t participate in Dance Moms: The Reunion, especially since all the original members were on good terms as they were hanging out the night before.

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JoJo Siwa Called Them Out For Not Attending The Reunion

She Thought It Was Dismissive

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Jojo Siwa sparked more controversy after Lifetime posted the Dance Moms: The Reunion trailer. In the sneak peek, Jojo addressed Maddie, Mackenzie, and Nia’s absence and called out the OGs for not coming to the reunion. “Them not being here is kind of like, let me erase my past, pretend it didn’t happen, shove it down the drain, when it’s like, that’s why you are who you are.” Jojo did not name specific names in the trailer, but it’s obvious she was talking about Maddie, Mackenzie, and Nia.

Kendall Vertes acknowledged that Dance Moms was the “stepping-stone” to who the cast has become and their thriving careers. “We would not be here without Dance Moms,” she added. The trailer showcased the Dance Moms alums addressing the impact the show had on their mental health and careers. Chloe opened up about how she felt she “wasn’t enough,” while Brooke and Paige discussed their mom’s infamous fight that led to their removal from the team with Kalani.

Maddie & Mackenzie Didn’t Want To Revisit That Time In Their Lives

They Didn’t Want To Go Back In Time

Reddit user @PositiveMail5521 posted a screen recording of an Instagram Live Mackenzie did when she explained why she and her sister, Maddie, didn’t attend. Dance Moms: The Reunion. Mackenzie explained that their absence “had nothing to do with the girls,” but rather they didn’t want to revisit that time in their lives. “We just, like, didn’t really wanna go back in time, you know what I’m saying, to that era,” she added. Maddie was often deemed Abby’s favorite dancer and she was expected to perform perfectly each time she took the stage. In the process, Mackenzie was constantly compared to Maddie.

“I think a lot of people were speculating that we weren’t there for like this reason or this reason, but we just like didn’t… we didn’t want to go back in time.”

Mackenzie’s reasoning for her and Maddie not attending Dance Moms: The Reunion makes sense. They went through a lot individually and as a family on Dance Moms. Nia has not addressed Dance Moms: The Reunion, but it’s assumed she felt the same way. Each of the women who were on Dance Moms were children on the show, and for some of them, the experience was very traumatic. Dance Moms: The Reunion won't feel whole without Maddie, Mackenzie, and Nia, but they need to protect their mental health and make decisions they feel are right for them.

When Is Dance Moms: The Reunion Airing?

There Will Be Three Episodes Of The Reunion Special

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Dance Moms: The Reunion is set to air on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at 8 p.m. EDT on Lifetime. The premiere episode will be two hours long and is followed by Dance Moms: Epic Showdowns, a miniseries hosted by Christi. In Dance Moms: Epic Showdowns, Christi will watch back iconic moments and fights from the original Dance Moms series. Following its premiere date, three new episodes will air on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Lifetime. The young women will take a look back at their time on Dance Moms while discussing how the show has changed their lives.

Dance Moms: The Reunion will not be the same without Maddie, Mackenzie, and Nia, but it’s okay that they didn’t participate in the series. They’ve moved on, and aren’t interested in revisiting that time in their lives. The reunion special will still be an exciting moment for the young women from Dance Moms to revisit such a pivotal time in their lives.

Dance Moms: The Reunion will premiere on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. New episodes will be available to stream the next day.

Sources: Melissa Gisoni/Instagram, @Favtreestump/Reddit, Lifetime/YouTube