Why Glee’s Amber Riley “Despises” When People Call Her “Mercedes”

“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.