As of mid-2025, Bryshere Y. Gray is not incarcerated. A misdemeanor assault and battery charge filed against the former Empire actor in Chesapeake, Virginia, was dismissed on July 30, 2025, at the request of the man who filed it. His family and associates say Gray is focused on his mental health, and he is no longer attached to the reality television project he had been filming.
What Happened With the 2025 Chesapeake Charge
On June 13, 2025, Gray got into an altercation with an associate, Dustin “Chosen” Wilkins, at a Homewood Suites hotel in Chesapeake. Wilkins told police Gray charged into him and struck him while Wilkins was recording the incident on his phone.1WAVY. Former Empire Star Bryshere Gray Faces Charges in Chesapeake Gray told officers Wilkins had been stalking him and that the conflict escalated after Gray decided he no longer wanted to work with Wilkins on a television show.2The Virginian-Pilot. Empire Actor Charged With Assault in Chesapeake
Chesapeake police did not arrest Gray. The misdemeanor was initiated by Wilkins as a private citizen. Gray turned himself in on June 15 and was released on a $5,500 bond, with an arraignment set for June 18 in Chesapeake General District Court.2The Virginian-Pilot. Empire Actor Charged With Assault in Chesapeake
On July 21, Wilkins filed a motion asking the court to drop the case, writing that dismissal was “in the public’s best interest” and that Gray and his sister had asked him to withdraw the complaint. The court dismissed the charge on July 30, 2025.3The Virginian-Pilot. Charges Dropped Against Empire Actor in Chesapeake Wilkins later told reporters he never wanted Gray to go to jail and had used the complaint to try to push Gray into a mental health treatment plan. He said he would have dropped the charge earlier if Gray had enrolled in a treatment facility, and that he had bonded Gray out shortly after the arrest.4TMZ. Bryshere Gray Assault and Battery Charge Dropped
The 2020 Arizona Felony Still on His Record
Gray’s most serious conviction remains the 2020 domestic violence case in Goodyear, Arizona. His wife reported that he had assaulted her over several hours and strangled her to the point of briefly losing consciousness, and she was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.5TheWrap. Bryshere Gray Arrested on Domestic Violence Charges Gray was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on July 13, 2020, on charges of aggravated assault involving strangulation, assault, and disorderly conduct.6Oxygen. Empire Star Bryshere Gray Charged With Assaulting Wife
In February 2021, Gray pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault, with more serious counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping dropped under the plea agreement. A judge sentenced him in March 2021 to 10 days in county jail and three years of probation.7People. Empire’s Bryshere Gray Pled Guilty to Assaulting His Wife, Sentenced to 10 Days in Jail His probation barred him from drinking alcohol, from possessing firearms, and from contacting his wife, Candice Jimdar, without approval from the Arizona Adult Probation Department. He was ordered to pay her restitution and to complete a domestic violence offender treatment program.8New York Daily News. Empire Star Bryshere Gray to Serve Jail Time After Pleading Guilty to Aggravated Assault of Wife
Since then, according to reporting by Yahoo Entertainment, Gray was arrested in Maricopa, Arizona, in 2022 for a probation violation, and in July 2024 he was arrested in Hallandale Beach, Florida, for trespassing and released on a $150 bond.9Yahoo Entertainment. Empire’s Bryshere Gray Has Another Run-In With the Law
Mental Health and Where His Career Stands
People close to Gray have consistently framed his recent troubles in terms of mental health. Wilkins told reporters that Gray “suffers from a mental health disorder” and said, “Bryshere doesn’t need to be in jail. He wouldn’t survive in jail. He needs mental help.”10NewsNation. Former Empire Star Bryshere Gray Allegedly Fights Associate in Chesapeake, Faces Charges Gray’s family said in a statement that the Chesapeake incident was “not a payment dispute” but “an issue concerning Bryshere’s safety and health,” and that he “appreciates all the well wishes as he resumes working on his mental health.”1WAVY. Former Empire Star Bryshere Gray Faces Charges in Chesapeake
Before the Chesapeake arrest, Gray had been filming a reality series called The Star Boys, shot in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and Virginia Beach, that followed Gray, Wilkins, and other cast members. Production was paused because of Gray’s mental health struggles, and sources confirmed after the assault charge that Gray is no longer part of the project. Wilkins said Gray has expressed a desire to leave the entertainment industry altogether.4TMZ. Bryshere Gray Assault and Battery Charge Dropped