‘Empire’ Cast News: Stars Andre Lyon and Anika Calhoun Reportedly Hooking Up in Real Life [Watch]
Trai Byers, who plays Andre Lyons, and Grace Gealey, who plays Anika Calhoun (a.k.a. "Boo Boo Kitty") on the Fox hit show "Empire," are dating, reports TMZ.
TMZ acquired a video of Byers, 33, and Gealey, 30, at a wedding together. People who attended the reception told TMZ the two were very affectionate at times.
The bride and groom, Lauren Whitney Johnson and Cedric Sanders, are actors and friends of Byers and Gealey.
Gealey has done well for herself. The man who plays Lucious' oldest son is no slouch. The Pittsburg Courier reports that Byers graduated from the Yale School of Drama with Lupita Nyong'o. Although he may be an unfamiliar face to "Empire" viewers, he is not a newcomer to TV and film. He started his acting career on the daytime soap opera "All My Children," played Nathan Davis in the movie "Jayhawkers" and worked with Oprah Winfrey in the film "Selma."
Not only is he handsome, he can play the saxophone and sing.
He also has a close relationship with God; he almost quit acting to become a pastor.
Gealey is a good catch herself. The Pennsylvania-born actress was raised in the Cayman Islands from the age of 2 until she returned to the U.S. as an adult. She received her Bachelor's in Theater Arts at the University of South Florida in Tampa, then later attended the University of California in Irvine where she received her Masters of Fine Arts in acting.
The Caymanian-American graduate moved to New York where she performed in the off-Broadway stage, including roles in "Venus Flytrap: A Femme Noir Mystery" and "Rent." In 2013, she performed in the Chicago productions of "The Misanthrope" and "Tartuffe."
Playing Anika on "Empire" is Gealey's first television role. She told BuzzFeed last week that she learned she got the role while at a charity event. "I was just screaming and jumping around. I was at a charity event just jumping around in hallways," she said.
When BuzzFeed asked Gealey who, out of Lucious' three sons, should take over the empire, the actress had one man in mind.
"Honestly, I'm a little biased. I'm rooting for Andre," she said. "If he took his meds he'd be straight. He went to school for this and he knows the in and outs."
The talented actress also revealed an obsession with Bruno Mars -- sounds like Byers may have some competition.
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