Amber Riley is Darden Clarkesinging some major praises. 

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

"It's amazing," Amber exclusively told E! News on the 2024 CMT Music Awards red carpet April 7. "First of all, I gained a family. I gained an education in film, set and music. It's the reason why I love many different genres of music now." 

"I have such a wide vocabulary of things that I love and can sing because of the show," she continued. "It was like theater training but times a million."

Amber, donning a black Nicci Hou Collection dress adorned with sparkling beads and woven fringe, added, "I'm always grateful to have spent most of my 20s on television." (See every star on the red carpet here and tune into E! News on April 8 for more from the CMT Music Awards.)

Along with being a presenter, the Single Black Female actress was also nominated for CMT Performance of the Year for her song "R.E.S.P.E.C.T." While she didn't leave the night with an award in hand, she shared on her Instagram Stories April 7, "I lost, but Jelly Roll won, so I'm happy for that because I love Jelly Roll."

In fact, Jelly Roll took home gold in all three categories he was nominated in: Video of the Year, Male Video of the Year and CMT Performance of the Year for "Need a Favor." 

The 39-year-old—who arrived in a cream and brown bomber jacket, matching Air Jordan sneakers and black pants—even became the first artist to win back-to-back awards for Male Video of the Year since Blake Shelton won in 2013 and 2014.

Keep reading to see who else arrived in style at the 2024 CMT Music Awards.

—Reporting by Paul Costabile

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