Born in Pageland, South Carolina,[2] and raised in a single parent home,[3] she was introduced to music at an early age and sang with the gospel choir at her local church.

She attended South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities[4] and in 2006 graduated with a degree in musical theatre from Carnegie Mellon University.

[2] She has credited her time at Carnegie Mellon as a big part of her life, saying, "It was there that I studied and really realized that I could make my dream a reality.

[4] She performed in a Central Park production of Hair in the summer of 2008 and was featured in the musical Romantic Poetry at the Manhattan Theatre Club that fall.

Whoopi's wry vulnerability but adds dazzle to the razzle around her,"[7] while David Benedict of Variety thought her "powerhouse vocals, pitched somewhere between Gloria Gaynor and Whitney Houston, and her thrillingly fast vibrato act as the show's engine.

[20] Miller reprised the role in the Broadway revival, which began performances on March 23, 2013, at the Music Box Theatre and officially opened on April 25, 2013.

[25][26][27] In 2019, Miller starred as the Witch in the Hollywood Bowl production of Into the Woods and reprised the role in a 2022 Broadway revival at the St. James Theatre.

[31] In 2023, Miller sang the U.S. National Anthem at the start of the New York City Marathon in Staten Island and subsequently completed the race in four hours.