You remember 2015. Every Wednesday night, the world stopped for Empire. Amidst the fur coats and Lucious Lyon’s Shakespearean growling, there was this kid—Hakeem Lyon. He was the youngest, the bratty one, the "Drip Drop" rapper who actually had some serious flow. That was our introduction to Bryshere Y. Gray.
He wasn't even an actor when he got the part. He was Yazz the Greatest, a Philly kid rapping at Pizza Hut to keep the lights on. Then, suddenly, he's the face of a cultural phenomenon. But if you look at Bryshere Y. Gray movies and TV shows today, the list kinda... stops. It’s a weirdly short filmography for someone who was once the hottest young star in Hollywood.
Let's be real: people aren't just searching for his IMDb credits because they want a marathon. They’re searching because they want to know where the hell he went.
The Breakout: Empire and the Rise of Hakeem Lyon
Honestly, the story of how he got Empire sounds like a movie itself. He was literally on the verge of being evicted in West Philadelphia. He auditioned via FaceTime, rapping his heart out into an iPhone. Lee Daniels saw something raw there. That rawness turned into Hakeem Lyon, a character that earned Gray nominations at the BET Awards and the NAACP Image Awards.
For six seasons, Gray was a staple. He didn't just act; he performed. Most of those "Hakeem" tracks you heard on the show were actually him. It was a perfect marriage of his real-life music background and a scripted drama.
But Empire was a double-edged sword. It made him a star, but it also pigeonholed him. He spent years playing a "spoiled rapper," and when the show finally wrapped in 2020, the transition to "serious actor" proved much harder than anyone expected.
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The New Edition Story: His Best Performance?
If you ask any R&B head, they’ll tell you his turn as Michael Bivins in The New Edition Story (2017) was his "I can actually act" moment.
Playing a living legend like Bivins is scary. You have to get the walk right, the New England accent, and that specific "businessman first" energy Bivins is known for. Gray nailed it. He was part of an ensemble—alongside Algee Smith and Woody McClain—that felt more like a real brotherhood than a cast.
After that BET miniseries, it felt like he was going to be the next big thing in biopics. He even told reporters at the time that he wanted to play LL Cool J next. It seemed like a natural fit. He had the athleticism, the musicality, and the charm. But that movie never happened.
Bryshere Y. Gray Movies and TV Shows: The Full List
Despite the fame, his actual credit list is surprisingly slim. He didn't do the typical "young actor" thing of taking every role offered. Here is the meat of what he actually put on screen:
- Empire (2015–2020): His 102-episode run as Hakeem Lyon. This is the foundation of his entire career.
- The New Edition Story (2017): A three-part miniseries where he played Michael Bivins.
- Honey: Rise Up and Dance (2018): A direct-to-video dance flick where he played Tyrell. It wasn't Empire quality, but it kept him in the dance/music lane.
- Sprinter (2018): This was a cool pivot. He played Marcus Brick in a film executive produced by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. He played an American track star, showing he could do sports drama.
- Canal Street (2019): A legal thriller where he played Kholi Styles. This was a "preachy but earnest" role that dealt with race and the justice system in Chicago.
- Celebrity Guest Spots: He did the rounds on Lip Sync Battle (fighting Rumer Willis) and various talk shows, but he never landed another recurring TV gig.
Why the Credits Dried Up: The Legal Spiral
We can't talk about his career without talking about why it stalled. It's heavy. Around the time Empire was ending, the headlines shifted from his acting to his arrests.
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In 2020, there was a domestic violence incident in Goodyear, Arizona. It wasn't just a "minor scuffle"—it involved a 911 call from his wife and a standoff with a SWAT team. He eventually pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to jail time and probation.
Then came the probation violations. Then more arrests. By the time we got to 2025, news broke about another incident in Chesapeake, Virginia. An associate of his, "Chosen" Wilkins, actually spoke to the press, saying Bryshere wasn't a "villain" but someone dealing with serious mental health struggles.
That’s the part most people miss. We see a "failed actor," but the people close to him see someone who has been struggling with the pressures of fame since he was 20 years old. In mid-2025, those assault charges in Virginia were dismissed, but the damage to his Hollywood reputation was pretty much done.
Is He Making a Comeback in 2026?
As of right now, Bryshere Y. Gray hasn't announced any new movies or TV shows. He’s been largely quiet on social media, which is probably for the best given his legal track record.
There are rumors that he wants out of the industry entirely. His friend Chosen Wilkins told TMZ in July 2025 that Bryshere had confessed he wanted to leave entertainment because it had been "so hard on him."
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It’s a cautionary tale of the "overnight success." He went from a Philadelphia Pizza Hut to a global superstar in months. Without a solid support system or the tools to handle that level of scrutiny, the wheels came off.
What Can You Actually Watch Now?
If you're looking to revisit his work, your best bet is streaming.
- Hulu/Disney+: Both carry the full run of Empire. It remains his most iconic work, even if the later seasons got a bit wild with the plot.
- BET+ / Paramount+: This is where you'll find The New Edition Story. Honestly, if you only watch one thing of his, make it this. It's objectively great TV.
- Tubi/Freevee: You can often find Canal Street or Honey: Rise Up and Dance on these free, ad-supported platforms.
If you want to support his journey toward health, the best thing to do is appreciate the art he already gave us. His path from Philadelphia to the Lyon throne was incredible, even if the ending hasn't been written the way we hoped.
To see what other Empire alums are up to, you should check out Taraji P. Henson’s recent production deals or Terrence Howard’s ventures into technology and science. They’ve mostly moved on, and it might be time for us to let Bryshere find his own peace away from the cameras.