State Champ Radio Empire (TV Show)
Source: Variety / Getty
Life for Bryshere Y. Gray after Empire could’ve been an episode of Empire.
The show, which ran for six seasons, ended in 2020. In May 2020, Gray was sued by his landlord for more than $26,000 in damages to his property.
Later that same year Gray, who played Hakeem Lyon, was arrested in Arizona for allegedly abusing his wife. Gray’s wife, who had visible bruises, flagged down a passerby to get help. She claimed that Gray strangled her and was taken to the hospital for help. Gray refused to leave his home. SWAT and crisis negotiators responded. Gray eventually left without incident. In May 2021, Gray received a 10-day jail sentence and three years of probation for the altercation.
In November 2022, he violated probation and faced abuse charges against a different woman.
Gray, 31, has now been charged with assault and battery in Virginia, according to news station WAVY. Chesapeake police told the news station that Gray was not arrested as the charge was taken out by a citizen. Court documents viewed by TMZ claim that Gray was working with a man named Dustin Wilkins, who goes by the name Chosen Wilkins. Wilkins claims that after an argument over money Gray charged him and the two men began fighting.
“As I was explaining to him that he can’t just leave without paying, adding you have enough problems,” Wilkins said in court documents. “ …I am trying to save your life. He then charged towards me from around the car. Charged into me with his shoulder…and fighting me as I was recording the incident over the phone…a blunt blow into me and punching me.”
The incident occured on Friday afternoon at Homewood Suites, but charges were not filed until Sunday.
Gray told WAVY in an interview that Gray “suffers from a mental health disorder and added that the actor is not a bad person.
“Something took place in a mental health aspect. I can not disclose what happened, I can not disclose the details of that,” Wilkins said. “All I can tell you is Bryshere is a friend, he’s like my brother. He is just someone who is dealing with some very interesting mental health issues.”
Wilkins added that he worked to get Gray a bond.
“Bryshere doesn’t need to be in jail. He wouldn’t survive in jail. He needs mental help,” Wilkins explained.
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Source: Variety / Getty
The conviction against Jussie Smollett for his orchestration of a hate crime against himself five years ago has been upheld by an Illinois court.
On Friday (December 1), the Illinois Appellate Court affirmed the disorderly conduct conviction of former Empire actor Jussie Smollett. The three-judge panel voted 2-1 to uphold the conviction. “We wish to highlight that the decision was divided, with Justice Lyle offering a detailed analysis in favor of Smollett,” lawyers representing Smollett said after the decision. “We are preparing to escalate this matter to the Illinois Supreme Court, armed with a substantial body of evidence.” The state Supreme Court will decide whether to hear the case. If they decide not to, Smollett is expected to fulfill the entire 150-day sentence he received in 2022. He had served six days before filing the appeal and obtaining his release.
In the decision, Judge David R. Navarro wrote that Jussie Smollett’s lawyers had challenged “virtually every aspect” of the case which included the process of selecting the jury, the appointment of a special prosecutor, and the sentence that Smollett’s lawyers said was excessive in their arguments. The legal team also argued that he was being tried for the same crime twice after Cook County prosecutors dropped the original charges, claiming it was a violation of his Fifth Amendment rights against double jeopardy.
Jussie Smollett would be convicted on five counts of disorderly conduct in 2021 on a set of new charges. He was indicted initially after claiming two men attacked him because he was Black and a gay man in January 2019 after arriving back at his Chicago residence and lying to police about it as a way to attain greater publicity. Smollett would be dropped from his role as Jamal Lyons on the Fox show amid the situation.
Justice Freddrenna Lyle dissented, citing that the state should not have re-tried Smollett after the prosecutors dropped the original charges. Special Prosecutor Dan Webb expressed that the decision was a “resounding victory for justice” after being handed down. “We are proud to have prevailed in a case that, we believe, can help restore the public’s confidence in the Cook County justice system,” Webb said to the press. “We hope this decision will reassure the community that our legal system is fair, just, and impartial.”
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