“I was there to do a TV show. She was there to do a TV show. And that’s just how dance teachers are,” Siwa said of Miller’s relentless teaching. “Like she wanted us to be the best.”

Despite the brutal lectures they received from Dancing mothers Coach Abby Lee Miller, JoJo Siwa, says she always understood her teacher’s motives on a deeper level.

In the episode of Alex Cooper’s Call her daddy Siwa, 20, looked back on her time on Lifetime’s competitive reality show on her podcast, claiming that she never let Miller’s comments bother her because she always knew what she was “getting into.”

“I saw what she was like on TV, and somehow as a kid I was always able to see the bigger picture,” she explained.

The “Karma” singer went on to say that her mother, Jessalynn Siwa, was always “mad” and “fighting all day on set” when she was ranked at the “bottom of the pyramid.” Despite being ranked last among her co-stars, Siwa knew that being ranked last had its advantages, even at a young age.

Related: JoJo Siwa calls out missing OGs Dance Moms: The Reunion The cast agrees that the show will be “Why you are who you are”

“And I said, ‘No, mom, because the person at the top of the pyramid gets, ‘Congratulations, you’re at the top.’ But the person at the bottom gets the whole plot of the TV show.’ And she was like, ‘How the hell do you know?'” she recalled. “I said, ‘It literally doesn’t matter. Like we’re making a TV show.’ And I always kind of knew that.”

Since Dancing mothers The ninth and final season of the reality show aired in 2019. Many of the reality show’s child stars have spoken out about the alleged emotional and verbal abuse they suffered at the hands of Miller. While many still have a strained relationship with the dance instructor, Siwa said her personal relationship with her is now “amazing.”

“The thing is, I was there to do a TV show. She was there to do a TV show. And that’s what dance teachers are like,” she said, explaining that teachers are known for their unforgiving nature. “And Dancing mothers just show it off.”

Karolina Wojtasik/Lifetime Television/Courtesy of Everett

Abby Lee Miller on “Dance Moms”” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/E_rU.Lk4MlCbnYIikEBNoQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MQ–/https://media.zenfs.com/ en/people_218/a3a5c8177bcb5e0acb538e824531fec9″ class=”caas-img”/>

Related: Maddie Ziegler calls ‘Dance Moms’ ‘toxic’ and feels ‘at peace’ with Abby Lee Miller no longer in her life

“But I have to say, I’ve had worse teachers than Abby. She’s not the worst I’ve ever had. In terms of how harsh she was, in terms of how mean she was. And I liked that,” Siwa added. “I wanted to be good, and she was right.”

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The “Boomerang” singer admitted that she always “craved their approval” and stressed that Miller’s comments, as hurtful as they may have been, were truths they needed to hear.

“But how, Dancing mothersshe said. “There was nothing but almost love and toughness, you know what I mean? Like she wanted us to be the best.”

Related: ‘Dance Moms’ Star Kalani Hilliker Says Her Anxiety Started After the Show: ‘I Suppressed My Emotions’ (Exclusive)

Dance Moms/Instagram

(LR) Chloe Lukasiak, Paige Hyland, Brooke Hyland, JoJo Siwa, Kendall Vertes and Kalani Hilliker reunite for reunion special” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/aaaUDSzr7NyG2y0HsdYSUg–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MQ–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/people_218/5f31a6d2abebd1e6967d235e4a754896″ class=”caas-img”/>

Siwa’s confessions come a month before she reunites with her former co-stars for the highly anticipated film. Dancing mothers Reunion special in May.

Last month, a source told PEOPLE exclusively that some of the cast members had requested that their former dance teacher not be part of the upcoming special because the series is about “the girls and their experiences.”

“At this point, everyone had gone through different eras, had time to reflect, and Abby had taken a lot out of them emotionally and physically and they just didn’t want to go through that again,” the source said.

However, the insider noted that there are “some who say they know they wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Dancing mothersOthers have stated that they want “nothing to do with any of this, like Maddie (Ziegler).”

“But some of those involved decided they would only attend the meeting if Abby wasn’t there,” the source continued. “The girls were able to speak their minds more openly when she wasn’t there.”

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Dance Moms: The Reunion Premieres Wednesday, May 1 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.

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