Maddie Ziegler Is Busy Without 'Dance Moms'

Although it looked like Dance Moms was teetering between life and death, it turns out that Lifetime isn't quite ready to pull the plug just yet. There's still two episodes left in the current season, but the network has confirmed to International Business Times that Dance Moms will return for Season 7B. One of the biggest stories to come out of Dance Moms, of course, has been the recent departure of original cast members Maddie and Mackenzie Ziegler, who were been a part of the show since its first season. With filming commencing for 7B, Will Maddie Ziegler return for another season of Dance Moms? This early in the game, there's little to no info about who will return for the next season, but it's unlikely the mega star will have time for the Lifetime show going forward.

Maddie quickly burst onto the scene in 2011 and became a talent worth watching on the Lifetime series. Her natural abilities and charming personality took her to new heights, when Sia asked her to dance in music videos. That was just the beginning, and it quickly led to Maddie being asked to be a judge on So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation (making her the youngest judge to date.)

But, even though it's been about six months since Maddie left Dance Moms, don't expect her to rush back anytime soon. Of course, there's have no official confirmation, and I think it would be great to have her at least make a cameo. But the 13-year-old has no shortage of creative projects in the works. Outside of dancing, Maddie's first movie, The Book of Henry, will premiere in September, according to International Business Times. And, Maddie's already finished work on her second movie, the animated feature Ballerina, which she voiced alongside Elle Fanning.

Oh yeah, and she's got book deals — two of them, in fact, according to People. Her memoir, The Maddie Diaries, will be released by Gallery Books in 2017, and she just signed a deal to write a young adult trilogy with Aladdin Books. The first book in the series is set to be released next fall.

According to her website, Maddie also started her own clothing line, aptly named "Maddie," obviously. Specifically designed for dancers "on-the-go" the outfits will be available at select Nordstrom stores and online.

It made sense that Maddie would leave Dance Moms to pursue the other exciting opportunities that opened up to her thanks to her exposure on the show. After leaving, she mentioned in an interview with Seventeen that she found the show itself growing stressful. And when TODAY caught up with her in a recent interview to find out how she was doing, Maddie stood by her decision to leave, telling TODAY, "As much as it was sad, it was the best thing we’ve ever decided on."

Certainly, the teen has a lot to be proud of in terms of accomplishments. It'll be interesting to see if she keeps ties with her Dance Moms family as her fame grows, but for now, I want to see Maddie pursue all the fun things. She deserves it.