Who plays Mercedes in Glee? Also known simply as RILEY, Amber is best known for playing Mercedes Jones on comedy-drama TV show Glee from 2009 to 2015. In 2016, Amber had the lead role of Effie White in the West End debut of Dreamgirls. For this, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
In 2013, Amber won season 17 of Dancing with the Stars, and in 2017 she appeared as a judge on the UK talent show Let It Shine.
She also formed the musical theatre supergroup Leading Ladies with Beverley Knight and Cassidy Janson. Their debut album, Songs from the Stage, was released in 2017.
In 2022, she won season 8 of The Masked Singer in the US.
Who plays Mercedes in Glee?
More than 10 years after she was cast as Mercedes Jones on Glee, the 35-year-old actress recently asked people to stop referring to her by her former character’s name. In a public plea shared to her Twitter, Amber explained why she doesn’t like being called “Mercedes” and refuses to address those who choose to use that name when speaking to her.
“I despise when ppl call me Mercedes. Put some respect on my name. Call me AMBER or RILEY,” Amber, who also performs as a singer under the stage name RILEY, tweeted on Jan. 15. “It’s wild that I even have to say that. No shade to the show/character that gave me a career, but please stop this s–t. I don’t answer to it, and if you do it facetiously I’ll block you.”
“I’ve done too much in my career to be reduced to one role,” she continued in another tweet. “Whether you respect the work I’ve done or not, I don’t really care, BUT basic human decency is to recognize me as a person and use my actual name. Boundaries.”
While most fans voiced their support for Amber, her request was also met with some negative feedback, with one Twitter user saying that her ask was a “first world problem.” However, Amber didn’t back down and defended her decision to speak out.
“As a black woman I’ve learned i have to advocate for myself and set clear boundaries because no one else will do it for me!” she argued, adding in another tweet, “I’m emotionally intelligent enough to know the difference between someone being genuinely excited, and someone being an A–hole. This was mainly for the a–holes. BUT, there is nothing wrong with telling people how you want to be addressed.”
She added, “People hate when black ppl advocate for themselves and it shows. I don’t even think what I said was wild.”
Although Amber prefers that fans call her by her birth name, she is still grateful to be recognized for her role on Glee. When one Twitter user commented that it seemed like the star was “ready to say goodbye to Mercedes,” Amber clarified in her response, “I’ll never say goodbye to her, ever. I love her.”
Amber played Mercedes on Glee from 2009 to 2015, when the show ended after six seasons.
Since then, she has continued to pursue a career in acting, appearing in hit series such as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and A Black Lady Sketch Show, as well as televised musicals like The Wiz Live! and The Little Mermaid Live!. Onstage, she starred in productions of Dreamgirls and Little Shop of Horrors.
In November 2020, Amber announced that she’d gotten engaged to entrepreneur Desean Black. She captioned an Instagram photo of the couple at the time, “There was a time when I thought I didn’t want or deserve this kind of love. I’m looking at a man who changed my mind.”
“My time by myself, loving on myself, getting comfortable with myself, prepared me for you, and prepared me for this,” she added. “I am so proud to say, I am the future Mrs. Black.”
How old is Amber Riley and where is she from?
Amber was born on February 15, 1986. She celebrated her 36th birthday in 2022.
She was born in Los Angeles County, California.
She has two older sisters, Toiya and Ashley.
Amber first auditioned for American Idol when she was 17 years old, in season 2, but was turned down by the producers.
What music has Amber Riley released?
In 2020, Amber announced she had finished recording songs for her debut EP.
Released in October that year, the collection was released under the name RILEY, featuring the singles ‘A Moment’ and ‘BGE’.
Amber Riley Urges ‘Glee’ Fans to Stop Calling Her Mercedes Jones: I ‘Despise’ That
Say her name. Although Amber Riley rose to stardom as Mercedes Jones on Glee, the actress is looking to step out of the fictional character’s shadow.
“I despise when ppl call me Mercedes. Put some respect on my name. Call me AMBER or RILEY. It’s wild that I even have to say that,” Riley, 35, tweeted on January 15. “No shade to the show/character that gave me a career, but please stop this s–t. I don’t answer to it, and if you do it facetiously I’ll block you.”
The Grammy Award nominee pointed out that she appeared in many projects since Glee, writing, “I’ve done too much in my career to be reduced to one role. Whether you respect the work I’ve done or not, I don’t really care, BUT basic human decency is to recognize me as a person and use my actual name. Boundaries.”
Riley later clapped back when a follower questioned whether the singer misunderstood that her character’s name was mentioned out of respect.
“I’m emotionally intelligent enough to know the difference between someone being genuinely excited, and someone being an A–hole,” the California native noted. “This was mainly for the a–holes. BUT, there is nothing wrong with telling people how you want to be addressed.”
The Dancing With the Stars alum clarified that she will “never say goodbye” to the fan favorite character — but she still wants space from the role.
“As a black woman I’ve learned I have to advocate for myself and set clear boundaries because no one else will do it for me!” Riley concluded. “(Well my fiancé will but he just be wantin to beat ppl up, I’m the safer option).”
Since appearing on Glee from 2009 to 2015, Riley played Effie White in Dreamgirls, for which she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. The performer later appeared in The Wiz Live!, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Nobody’s Fool, A Black Lady Sketch Show and The Little Mermaid Live!
The Infamous star also returned to her singing roots when she released an EP as RILEY in October 2020. One month later, Riley announced that she was engaged to her boyfriend, Desean Black.
“There was a time when I thought I didn’t want or deserve this kind of love. I’m looking at a man who changed my mind,” she captioned the Instagram post in November 2020. “My time by myself, loving on myself, getting comfortable with myself, prepared me for you, and prepared me for this. I am so proud to say, I am the future Mrs. Black.”
Black, 34, for his part, also gushed about the relationship milestone, writing, “Fellas, when a woman looks at you like this, it’s a clear indication that you’re doing the right thing. Now, when she delivers unconditional love that you’ve never experienced, it’s another clear indication that you’ve found the one.”
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