Is Bryshere ‘Yazz’ Gray leaving Empire? About Hakeem’s absence

If you haven’t noticed, Empire season 6 has not necessarily been balanced as of late when it comes to the cast. Hence, all of the people out there asking this oh-so-simple question: Where’s Hakeem? What happened to him?

For everyone out there who is super-curious, you should go ahead and know this — Bryshere “Yazz” Gray is not leaving the series before the end of the road. He will still have a role to play, but it’s clear that the series is structuring things a bit differently. A report over at TVLine notes that Gray is taking some time off this season for “personal reasons,” but he is still a series regular and will be around. Executive producer Brett Mahoney also noted to the publication that this is something that could be written into the story in a notable way:

“With Hakeem off filming the Lucious Lyon [movie] in Los Angeles, there may be episodes we don’t see him … but fans should certainly know that he and Yazz remain a big part of the show. Stay tuned.”

While Hakeem’s absence here and there on the show would likely be noticeable regardless of circumstances, it’s a little bit more so thanks largely to the absence of Jussie Smollett as Jamal. Because of this, Andre is really the only one of the principal Lyon siblings who has been around in a substantial way for much of the final season. Empire hardly feels like the same show it once was, but there is still a lot of drama here and story worth telling. Take a look, for example, at the current state of things for Lucious Lyon, let alone all of the near-constant craziness that is going down with the company at large. If there is one thing, after all, that the Empire writers have probably figured out, it’s this: They have to be adaptable. That is the only way to ensure that they make it through this series telling fully the story that they likely set out to tell in the early going.

What do you think about the current state of things at Empire without Gray and Smollett? Do you miss seeing more of Hakeem? Be sure to share in the comments, and remember to stick around for some other news.