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No More Andre? Trai Byers Addresses Rumors That He Wants Out of Empire

The actor sets the record straight.

Looks like the Lyon family is staying intact for now. One day after rumors hit that Trai Byers was looking to leave the FOX hit Empire (on which he plays the eldest son of Lucious Lyon) because he's unhappy with the direction of his role, the actor took to Instagram to clear up the record.

"I don't normally spend my time dispelling rumors, but there is something I’d like to address. I have nothing but love and respect for Empire and all who are involved on the show," he writes. "I have a fabulous relationship with FOX, and hold myself to the highest standards professionally. How could I think of demanding something larger than Andre, where I get to express a man with Bipolar disorder, who is on a spiritual journey to find his identity? I'm so proud, so happy, and so lucky to be a part of this cast. This show has started my career. See you in Season Three!"

Sources claimed that Byers wasn't happy on the show because his character wasn't up to snuff. “Trai wants out,” the insider said. “He feels that he studied at Yale and he’s a ‘true thespian’ ... The character is beneath him. He has an idea of himself as being this big Shakespearean actor. ... He thinks he has the acting chops of Taraji [P. Henson] and Terrence [Howard]. He doesn’t get how the show benefits him, and he feels he has way too much talent when he’s not the star by any means.”

Reports of temper tantrums on set accompanied the rumored departure, but looks like — according to Trai — none of it is true.

Watch Byers's on-screen wife, Kaitlin Doubleday, talk about working on Empire on The Real, below:

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