Empire Stars Grace Gealey and Trai Byers Are Engaged!

Actors play Anika Calhoun and Andre Lyon on the hit Fox series

By Zach Johnson Jul 28, 2015 12:06 PMTags
Trai Byers, Grace GealeyParas Griffin/Getty Images

Grace Gealey and Trai Byers are building their own empire!

The stars of Fox's hit series Empire are engaged, E! News confirms. Byers, 33, threw a surprise birthday party for Gealey, 31, at Chicago restaurant Kinmont Sunday night. "She thought it would just be the two of them going to dinner, but when they got there, he had arranged a party for about 20 of her friends and family members to surprise her," a source says. Gealey was seen wearing a diamond ring at dinner.

The beautiful and talented birthday girl was fêted by several of her Empire co-stars, including Kaitlin Doubleday, Gabourey Sidibe and Jussie Smollett.

"They are definitely going strong," a source says of the future spouses. "They make a really cute couple." Romance rumors began swirling in the springtime, but neither Gealey nor Byers have discussed their romance in press interviews.

In Empire, which debuted to record ratings in January, Gealey plays Anika Calhoun, head of Empire Entertainment A&R. She is engaged to Empire Entertainment CEO Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), meaning Andre Lyon (Byers) will be her stepson.

Empire returns for a second season Sept. 23. Guest stars will include Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz, Ludacris, Chris Rock and Kelly Rowland. Meanwhile, the series is up for three Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 12, including one for Taraji P. Henson, who scored an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series nomination.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

—Reporting by Beth Sobol