How Amber Riley Feels About Glee Family 15 Years Later

Amber Riley sings major praises.

Fifteen years after the premiere of JoyThe 38-year-old reflected on her time filming the six-season series as Mercedes Jones.

“It’s amazing,” Amber gushed exclusively. E! News on the red carpet at the 2024 CMT Music Awards on April 7. “First of all, I started a family. I got an education in film, set design and music. That’s the reason why I love many different genres of music now.”

“I have such a large vocabulary of things that I love and can sing about because of the show,” she continued. “It was like theater training, but multiplied by a million.”

Amber, wearing a black dress from the Nicci Hou collection featuring shimmering beading and woven fringe, added: “I’m forever grateful to have spent most of my 20s on television.” (See all the stars on the red carpet here and tune in E! News on April 8 for more on the CMT Music Awards.)