Reality TV star Abby Lee Miller has found herself at the centre of online ridicule once again, this time for what fans are calling an excessive and bizarre use of photo-editing software on a celebrity selfie.
A Broadway Night Out Goes Viral
The 60-year-old Dance Moms coach, known for her harsh teaching style on the hit show, recently attended a Broadway revival of Art by Yasmina Reza. Following the performance, she posted a series of Instagram photos posing with the play's leading men: James Corden, Bobby Cannavale, and Neil Patrick Harris.
While Corden and Cannavale appeared recognisable in the images, the picture of Harris prompted immediate and widespread mockery. His features had been digitally smoothed to an extreme degree, giving his skin a plastic, video-game character quality and his face a strangely lifeless, doll-like appearance that viewers described as "macabre."
Social Media Erupts in Hilarity
The reaction from Miller's followers and online commentators was swift and merciless. The comment section flooded with jokes and questions about the heavy-handed editing.
Fans left remarks such as "Holy face tune," "What is that corpse filter on NPH?" and "neil paintbrush harris." One user quipped, "They bringing out wax models of Neil Patrick Harris to events now?" while another asked, "Why was nph yassified but no one else was?"
In her own caption, Miller praised the trio as "incredible comedic actors" and gracious gentlemen, thanking them for a great evening of New York theatre, seemingly unaware of the unintended comedic focus of her post.
Controversy Follows a Difficult Decade
This latest public relations stumble comes as Miller responds to serious allegations of racism made in a new memoir by Nia Sioux, a former student on Dance Moms.
Sioux, who was the only regular Black student on the show, accuses Miller of making racially insensitive remarks, including telling her "your people have flat feet" and asking "Don't you just wish you had white-girl hair?" She also claims some of her solo dances had "racial undertones."
Miller has responded to the book, stating she has "different memories" but does not plan legal action, calling it an exercise of Sioux's freedom of speech. She added that she prefers to focus on living life after surviving cancer rather than the claims.
The former coach's recent years have been tumultuous. In 2017, she was sentenced to prison for bankruptcy fraud. The following year, after an early release, she was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, undergoing emergency spinal surgery and chemotherapy. She has since recovered, returning to teaching dance through virtual masterclasses and global conventions.
Despite her professional resurgence, this Instagram mishap proves that for Abby Lee Miller, life in the public eye continues to be a source of both devotion and derision.
