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Amber Lee Ettinger | |
|---|---|
 Ettinger in 2011 | |
| Born | (1982-10-02)October 2, 1982 (age 43) Hazleton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2003–present |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Subscribers | 3.41 thousand |
| Views | 232,953 |
| Last updated: September 11, 2025 | |
Amber Lee Ettinger (born October 2, 1982)[1] is an American actress, Internet celebrity, model, and singer.
Ettinger became notable after being hired to portrayObama Girl inBarely Political's June 2007 Internet video "Crush on Obama", in which she lip-synced the lyrics to the song expressing admiration of then-U.S. SenatorBarack Obama. The video led to numeroussketch comedy appearances and interviews, includingSaturday Night Live,Geraldo at Large,The O'Reilly Factor, andHannity.
Ettinger is a native ofHazleton, Pennsylvania.[2] Her interest in entertainment began at an early age. She participated in beauty pageants, dance recitals, theater, cheerleading competitions, and more.
Ettinger moved toNew York City to attend theFashion Institute of Technology to study fashion and clothing design, having expressed hopes to create her own clothing line and other business ventures.[3] She is currently a designer alongside her mother Roseann Ettinger, together they have created the "Inspired by Amber" jewelry line.[4]
Ettinger was crowned Miss NYC and Miss Alpine New Jersey in the 2003–2004Miss Hawaiian Tropic pageant,[5] later augmenting that title with a nod asHoward Stern's Miss Howard TV in June 2007.[6] Ettinger wasHooters Miss Manhattan, representing them in the 2003 International Swimsuit Pageant.[7]
Ettinger appeared in commercials forVH1's Pepsi Smash, Bikini Zone, and Certain Dri. She has also appeared in a video forThe Onion.[8] She was featured in music videos forThalía,The John Popper Project,[9] andStyles P.
Ettinger has traveled around the world modeling for swimsuit, lingerie and fashion companies such as Ujena, Born,Baby Phat,Ralph Lauren, andTommy Hilfiger. Ettinger has been featured in many publications such asMaxim,FHM, andElle. She has appeared on the cover ofWired andSteppin Out magazine.
Ettinger was hired byBarely Political founderBen Relles to appear in the "Crush on Obama"viral video, which was posted to the Barely Political channel onYouTube in June 2007. She appeared in a later video called "Hillary! Stop the attacks! Love, Obama Girl", released on March 25, 2008.[10] On May 7, 2008, Barely Political posted a YouTube video with Ettinger and formerDemocratic andLibertarian Party presidential candidateMike Gravel, entitled "Mike Gravel Lobbies for the Obama Girl Vote". In the video, Gravel tries to persuade her to switch her support from Obama to him.[11] She and Relles guest-lectured inPaul Levinson's class atFordham University on September 21, 2007.[12]
In late September 2008, Ettinger made a YouTube video with Independent candidateRalph Nader in which he argued that he should be included in the debates. The video was a spoof of conventional sitcoms and was called "The Obama Girl and Ralph Nader Show". Also featuring formerGovernor of MinnesotaJesse Ventura, the video followed what would happen if Obama Girl and Ralph Nader shared an office.[13]
In the fall of 2008, Ettinger starred in a parody of "I Got a Crush on Obama" with a promotional video for EA's Red Alert 3. In it, she professes her allegiance to Howard Ackerman, a fictional presidential candidate played by actorJ. K. Simmons. Since then she has been featured in multiple videos by Barely Political, including parodies ofJennifer Lopez,Fergie andCatwoman.
In February of the election year 2012, Ettinger collaborated with ObamaimpressionistIman Crosson (Alphacat) in the PoliPop video "Glease" which was a spoof of the song "You're the One That I Want" from the filmGrease and television seriesGlee,[14][15] in which "a smitten Obama seeks the affection (read: vote) of the Obama Girl".[16] A related musicsingle was also released.[16][17] In April 2012, "Glease" was included as part of the in-flight entertainment line-up forVirgin America airline.[18]
As the 2012 election approached, news organizations mentioned and interviewed Ettinger as a barometer of whether Obama would be re-elected. More than a year before the 2012 election,CNN Newsroom'sBrooke Baldwin had remarked, jokingly, that "obviously, the Obama girl is thelitmus test for who will win in 2012."[19] In 2012, Ettinger declined to state who she was supporting for President.[20][21]Sean Hannity interviewed Ettinger onFox News Channel'sHannity about her level of support for Obama; Ettinger explained that her 2007Crush on Obama video "encompassed what a lot of Americans were feeling the excitement for hope and change" and that now (June 2012) she hadn't given up on Obama, but added that her options (for voting in November 2012) were open.[15] In a Fox News Channel opinion piece, J.D. Gordon used Ettinger's indecision in 2012 as a specific example of Obama's waning support.[22]
Ettinger was a singer with Obama impersonatorIman Crosson in the musicsingle "Glease" (February 14, 2012; PoliPop, and Maker Studios).[16][17]
Ettinger released her own music EP titledQueen of the Web (October 29, 2008; Silver Curve Records), the EP including three tracks:[23]
In an August 2008 interview,Wired magazine asked Ettinger about "her double life as an online sensation and actual person", with Ettinger describing her background in fashion design, modeling and acting.[24] Ettinger said that she was not singing about Obama in the EP's songs, and staking out her own musical identity after lip-synching the 2007 "I've Got a Crush" video, Ettinger explained that "Obama Girl's going to sing about Obama, but Amber Lee Ettinger's going to sing about other things that are going on in her life."[24]
On March 10, 2010, she appeared onShear Genius as one of the models to be styled for headshots.[25] In mid-2010, Ettinger became a correspondent on fashion for the network WPIX in NYC.[citation needed]
On December 17, 2012, she appeared on the game showTake It All hosted by Howie Mandel making it to the final round. She chose "Keep Mine" while her opponent chose "Take It All" and took everything winning in excess of $500k.
In 2013, Ettinger appeared in a commercial forNatural Light as a lifeguard.[26] A banned version of the same commercial also appeared online.[27]
Ettinger has said that she did not vote in the primary for the2008 presidential election[28] but that she did vote in the 2008 general election.[citation needed]
She is ofGerman,Italian,Swedish andIrish ancestry.[29] She has an older brother and two younger sisters.[citation needed]
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