‘Empire’ Star Bryshere Gray Arrested in Chicago

Another Empire star was arrested in Chicago this week amid trouble with a traffic-related offense.

Bryshere Gray, who plays Hakeem Lyon on the Fox musical drama was pulled over Thursdays because a temporary license plate didn’t match the 2014 Rolls Royce he was driving. A representative for the police department said the actor was arrested on a misdemeanor registration charge and ticketed for driving an uninsured vehicle and failure to carry a driver’s license.

According to USA Today, the 25-year-old was released from custody shortly after his arrest, though a specific time was not provided. Neither Gray nor show representatives have spoken publicly about the arrest.

The arrest comes just a few months after Jussie Smollett made headlines after being accused of staging a homophobic and racist attack on himself in Chicago back in January, leading to a media storm surrounding his legal trouble and eventual exit from Empire.

Smollett was indicted in March with 16 counts of disorderly conduct. He pleaded not guilty and all charges against him were suddenly dropped at the end of that month. He was written out of the last two episodes of Season 5 to avoid further disruptions in production, with creator Lee Daniels revealing later this month that the actor would not be returning for the sixth and final season of the show.

In an interview earlier this month, Daniels said the decision to bring the show to an end was partly inspired by the Smollett controversy. However, there is a possibility the universe the show could continue in a spinoff.

“Empire in its current iteration may be over, but Empire is far from over,” Daniels told Vulture last week.

“We’re trying something out, and if it works, then Empire is over, and we have a great spinoff,” he added. “And if it doesn’t, then Empire may not very well be over. But the intent is to have our last season with a great spinoff.”

Empire star Terrence Howard is also reportedly facing some legal issues as reports surfaced the actor and his wife Mira are being investigated on suspicion of criminal tax evasion. The Blast wrote in early June that the actor had a $140,000 tac lien place on him in the state of California.

Howard was previously involved with tax issues in the past. In 2010 the IRS hit him with a $1.1 million payment and in 2006 they claimed that he owed $600,000.

Empire will return for its sixth and final season in fall 2019 on Fox.