‘Dance Moms’: Which OG Claims She Was ‘Never a Stage Mom’?
There was no shortage of drama during the eight seasons of Dance Moms. And while much of the chaos stemmed from the teachings of Abby Lee Miller, the moms caused their fair share of commotion as well. The mothers would argue about everything from solos to who received the best costumes and music. But one original member of the Dance Moms cast claims that she didn’t have stage mom tendencies at all.
Melissa Gisoni caused a lot of controversy on ‘Dance Moms’
Fans of Dance Moms undoubtedly know who Melissa Gisoni is. Gisoni is the mother of fan favorites, Maddie Ziegler and Mackenzie Ziegler. On the show, she was accused of doing everything she could to get her daughters ahead. Such things included being friends with Miller, working the front desk at the studio, getting private lessons for Maddie and Mackenzie, and pulling her kids out of traditional school. In season 3, Gisoni started homeschooling her children so that they could spend more time at the dance studio.
Gisoni’s daughters, Maddie Ziegler and Mackenzie Ziegler, found success after quitting the reality TV show
It seems that Gisoni’s methods worked out. Not only were her kids favorites at the Abby Lee Dance Company, but they have both gone on to find success since leaving Dance Moms in season 6. Currently, Maddie is pursuing acting and just wrapped production on her first leading role in the film, Bloody Hell. The 20-year-old also recently launched her second collaboration with Morphe 2. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Mackenzie is gearing up to release new music. She also just served as the creative director for a collaboration with the clothing brand Francesca’s.
Why Gisoni feels she was never a stage mom
But despite her daughters’ success, Gisoni claims that she’s by no means a stage mom. While speaking with Cosmopolitan, Gisoni explained why she doesn’t fit the bill for that term. “Literally, I’m just a mom from Pittsburgh,” the Dance Moms alum explained. “I was never a stage mom, and my daughter always tells people that. I think a stage mom is someone that pushes their kids, makes them practice, everything has to be perfect. My kids did it on their own. All I did was drive them and pay the bills.”
Gisoni listened to her kids when they shared that they wanted to quit ‘Dance Moms’
Certainly, there were mothers on Dance Moms who more closely fit the bill of Gisoni’s version of a stage mom. However, we wonder if Gisoni’s former castmates would agree with her sentiments about herself. Still, Gisoni was able to get her kids out of the show when they both expressed to her that they no longer wanted to do it. That decision certainly supports her claim that she wasn’t a stage mom.
