Dance Moms' Most Memorable Stars: Where Are They Now? (2024)

Who’s at the top of the pyramid? JoJo Siwa, Maddie Ziegler and more stole the spotlight on Dance Moms — and their parents weren’t afraid to bring the drama.

The Lifetime reality series premiered in 2011 and followed the Abby Lee Dance Company’s junior elite competition team as they rehearsed and performed rigorous new routines each week. Originally, the team consisted of Maddie, Mackenzie Ziegler, Nia Sioux, Chloe Lukasiak, Brooke Hyland and Paige Hyland. While the talented tots put their moves to the test, their mothers bickered about how to get their child to become a star.

Dance Moms originally ran for seven seasons through February 2017 and inspired several spin-offs, including Dance Moms: Miami and Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition. An eighth season returned in 2019, starring Miller and an all-new team of dancers.

Lifetime announced in November 2023 that the OG dancers (and their mothers!) would reunite for a reunion special.

Scroll down to learn what your favorite Dance Moms stars are up to now:

The Abby Lee Dance Company founder appeared on Dance Moms for eight seasons before inspiring spin-off series Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition, Dance Moms: Miami and Dance Moms: Abby's Studio Rescue. In 2016, Abby pleaded guilty to felony bankruptcy fraud and was later sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison, but was released early. The Pennsylvania native was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma in 2018. After 10 rounds of chemo and several surgeries, which left her wheelchair-bound, Abby announced in May 2019 that she was cancer-free.

Us confirmed in December 2015 that Maddie — who was Miller’s star student — would be leaving the reality show after its sixth season. By that point in her career, she had appeared in Sia’s “Chandelier” and “Elastic Heart” music videos and had performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Dancing With the Stars and Saturday Night Live. After her Dance Moms exit, Maddie became a judge on Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation and wrote a trilogy of YA novels. In 2021, she starred in Sia’s controversial film, Music, and in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story.

She dated musician Eddie Benjamin for three years, ultimately splitting in February 2023.

The Teen Choice Award winner, like her older sister, left the Lifetime show in 2016 after six seasons to pursue other projects. Prior to making her Dance Moms exit permanent, she recorded a hit album, Mack Z, and made her acting debut on Nickelodeon’s Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn. Mackenzie continued to reach for pop stardom in 2017 when she joined singer Johnny Orlando on tour throughout the U.S. and U.K. From 2018 to 2020, the “Girl Party” artist starred in high school drama series Total Eclipse on Brat TV. She returned to reality TV in 2021 when she competed as the Tulip on Fox’s The Masked Dancer, finishing in third place overall.

She released her second album, Phases, in 2018. Her third LP is slated for release in 2024, featuring single “Anatomy,” which was written about her relationship with estranged father Kurt Ziegler.

Maddie and Mackenzie’s mom admitted in a June 2016 Cosmopolitan essay that she “never wanted to be on TV” — and never wants to return, even though Dance Moms was “really a great platform” for her kids. Though she’s grown more “protective” over her daughters since their time on the show, she doesn’t consider herself a traditional “stage mom.” In 2020, Melissa reunited with fellow Dance Moms alums Kelly, Holly and Jill to launch the “Because Mom Said So” podcast.

The former ALDC member was constantly pitted against Maddie for competition glory during her time on Dance Moms. She left the show in 2014 after four seasons, but she and her mom briefly returned for guest roles in season 7.

In 2016, Chloe starred in Lifetime’s TV movie Center Stage: On Pointe and made a cameo on NBC’s Superstore. Her first book, Girl on Pointe: Chloe's Guide to Taking on the World, was released in January 2018. She confirmed her relationship with girlfriend Brooklinn Khoury in 2021.

Chloe graduated from Pepperdine University in December 2023. She celebrated the milestone via Instagram one month later.

“I always had the mindset that college wasn’t something I needed to do. I’ve been extraordinarily lucky to have experienced a lot since I was 9 and felt college was an unnecessary challenge but it’s something my parents strongly encouraged me to do,” Chloe wrote. “I threatened to drop out on the weekly for the past four years, but all in all, I am truly so thankful for this experience. I developed a true love for learning, I had professors who shaped me, made incredible friends, and grew in ways I never expected.”

One of the OG cast members, Christi’s rocky relationship with the ALDC founder was at the center of her Dance Moms story line. Before ultimately deciding she and Chloe were done with the show in 2014, Christi frequently called out favoritism toward Maddie in the studio. She has since turned toward charity work, signing on with mental health advocacy organization YourMomCares in 2019. Reality TV fans have also found Christi on TikTok, where she shares her best “Adulting 101” tips.

The Nebraska native joined Dance Moms during its fifth season after making the top five on Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition in 2013. Following her reality TV stardom, JoJo released pop singles “Boomerang” and “I Can Make U Dance,” later launching a nationwide U.S. tour in 2019. The Masked Singer alum was named one of TIME magazine’s most influential people in the world in September 2020. Four months later, she publicly came out as a member of the LGBTQ community. “Personally, I have never, ever, ever been this happy before and it feels really awesome,” she said in an Instagram Live at the time, shortly before introducing girlfriend Kylie Prew to her social media followers.

In August 2021, Siwa joined season 30 of Dancing With the Stars and danced with a woman, becoming the first celeb on the show to be paired with a professional dancer of the same sex.

Siwa and Prew eventually split in November 2021 amid her stint on DWTS, in which she placed second with pro Jenna Johnson. The songstress — who cohosts Siwas Dance Pop Revolution with mom Jessalynn Siwa — has since moved on, confirming in March 2022 that she has a new partner.

JoJo’s mom owned her own dance studio in Nebraska before the mother-daughter duo moved to Pennsylvania to join the ALDC. She now hosts her own podcast, “Success With Jess,” and sells rhinestones to make competitive dancers’ costumes pop on stage.

The UCLA student was one of the original members of the ALDC and remained on the team until the seventh season of Dance Moms, making her the longest-tenured dancer on the reality series. She has since kept fans hooked on her YouTube channel and has released her own music. In 2016, Nia made her Off-Broadway debut in Trip of Love and later joined the cast of CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.

In September 2021, she returned to Lifetime for the film Imperfect High. She played a teen drug addict opposite Sherri Shepherd.

The former school administrator was one of the most vocal parents on Dance Moms, often calling out favoritism and typecasting in the ALDC studio. She and her daughter, Nia, remained with the company until the show’s seventh season. Known to fans as Dr. Holly, the Carnegie Mellon alum cohosts the “Because Mom Said So” podcast with several of her fellow Dance Moms alums.

After joining the ALDC in season 2 of the Lifetime series, Kendall had a rocky road to the top of the pyramid. She was put on probation several times throughout her time on the competition team and briefly performed with Candy Apples Dance Center, the ALDC’s rival. Like many of her fellow Dance Moms alums, Kendall turned to vlogging after the show ended in 2019. Kendall enrolled at James Madison University in 2021, joining the dance team.

The former pharmaceutical sales rep made a strong impression when she and Kendall joined the Dance Moms family. Jill was known for wanting to get her daughter to the top — no matter what — and frequently disagreed with the other moms. After her time as a reality TV star came to an end, Jill joined Kelly, Holly and Melissa in launching the “Because Mom Said So” podcast.

Once the eldest member of the ALDC elite team, Brooke and her sister, Paige, were dismissed from the show after season 4 in 2014. The “I Hurt” singer struggled with back injuries throughout her dance career due to her acrobatic routines. After leaving Dance Moms, Brooke pursued a business degree at Ohio University and graduated in 2019.

Like her older sister, Paige experienced plenty of ups and downs with her dance teacher before being kicked off of the competition team in 2014. She graduated high school in 2019 and enrolled at West Virginia University.

A former ALDC student herself, Kelly’s long history with Abby often caused tension between them. Her explosive behavior led to an alleged physical altercation between her and the studio owner, causing Kelly and her daughters to exit the show. In 2014, a lawsuit was filed against Abby on behalf of Kelly’s daughter Paige, alleging emotional distress. The case was dismissed one year later.

Amid her drama with the ALDC, Kelly tweeted that she would be writing a book about her experience at the studio. In 2020, she started cohosting the “Because Mom Said So” podcast with former Dance Moms castmates and has cohosted the “Back to the Barre” podcast with Christi since 2022. In May 2024, Kelly announced that she was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier that year.

The Arizona native made her Dance Moms debut in 2013 and was quickly promoted to a regular cast member once she earned a permanent place on the ALDC elite team. She previously competed on season 2 of Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition and had a small role on ABC Family’s Bunheads. Kalani began to put more focus on acting in 2018 when she starred alongside Noah Centineo in Swiped, a coming-of-age romantic-comedy. The Dirt actress sparked controversy in 2020 when she was pictured with a Blue Lives Matter flag and later revealed that she was voting for former president Donald Trump when he ran for re-election. She launched her own beauty line, titled Kare by Kalani, in 2023.

Kalani’s mom ran her own dance studio in Arizona before they made the move to the East coast to join the ALDC team. Kira is also the mother of two sons: Jax, born in 2007, and Jett, born in 2015. She’s engaged to Arizona real estate mogul David Newman. Kira and David welcomed daughter Kaliah, their second child together after Jett, in 2021.

The choreographer was a constant presence in the ALDC studio throughout all eight seasons of the Lifetime series. She continued working with Abby, her former instructor, when the Los Angeles-based studio had its grand opening in 2015. During an emotional Lifetime special before season 8 of Dance Moms aired in 2019, Abby admitted that Gianna was her greatest “legacy.”

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