Andre Lyon

Andre Lyon
General Information
Gender:	Male
Age:	30
Resides in:	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (formerly) New York City, New York
Hair Color:	Brown
Eye Color:	Brown
Occupation(s):	Broker at Stanton & Wallace (formerly) Chief Financial Officer of Empire Entertainment President of Gutter Life Records
Aliases:	Dre
Family and Friends
Family:	Lucious Lyon (father) Cookie Lyon (mother) Jamal Lyon (brother) Hakeem Lyon (brother) Anika Calhoun (stepmother; formerly) Unborn son † Bella Lyon (niece) Prince Lyon (nephew)
Other Relatives:	Leah Walker (grandmother) Joe Walker † (grandfather) Tariq Cousins (paternal uncle) Bunkie Williams † (maternal cousin) Carol Hardaway (maternal aunt) Candace (maternal aunt) Olivia Lyon (ex-sister-in-law) Unborn sister † (deceased) Princess Lyon † (niece) Luther Hardaway (cousin) Keisha Hardaway (cousin) Tanya Hardaway (cousin) Franklin (cousin) Brianna (cousin)
Relationships:	Rhonda Lyon † (wife; deceased) Deputy Mayor Raquel Alvarez (affair) Michelle White (former attraction) Nessa Parker (ex-girlfriend) Charlotte Frost (affair) Detective Pamela Rose (ex-girlfriend ; imaginary due to prescription pills)
Friends:	Vernon Turner † (formerly; deceased) Michelle White (formerly)
Employer:	Lucious Lyon Jamal Lyon (temporarily) Hakeem Lyon (briefly)
Enemies:	Vernon Turner † (deceased; formerly) Anika Calhoun Shine Johnson Tiana Brown
Additional Information
Interests:	Becoming CEO of Empire
Education:	University of Pennsylvania (The Wharton School)
Vulnerabilities:	Bipolar disorder
Strengths:	Financial Expertise
Empire Chronology
First Appearance:	Pilot
Portrayer:	Trai Byers

Andre Martin Lyon is a main character in the television series Empire. The eldest son of Lucious and Cookie Lyon, he is the CFO of Empire Entertainment and the president of Empire's spin-off subsidiary label Gutter Life Records. A graduate of Wharton Business School, Andre oversees the financial aspects of Empire, working alongside his father to ensure the company’s fiscal strength. He is portrayed by actor Trai Byers, and he first appeared in "Pilot".

Biography

Andre is the oldest and most educated of the three Lyon sons. He has shown signs of his advanced intelligence and cunning from an early age. When he was a child, he was playing with a pile of Lego while singing along with his father, right before the police raided their house. Seeing his father put his gun in an obvious hiding place, Andre took the gun and hid it under his Lego pile before the police arrived. Many years later, he graduated from the Wharton Business School.

While a student, he met and eventually dated Rhonda Lyon, who would later become his wife. It is revealed in "The Outspoken King" that he has bipolar disorder, but is more focused on gaining control of Empire and thus disregards his mental health. He is very jealous of the talent and attention his younger brothers receive, even though he gets Empire through so much things. He feels that were it not for him, there would not be an IPO and Empire would not have gone through going public so well. Andre has achieved a lot for Empire, but his lack of musical talent as well as Rhonda's presence have greatly strained his relations with his father.

Series

Season 1

Pilot
Andre first appears as the highly educated son of the Lyon family; he believes that he is the most qualified to inherit the Empire Entertainment company because of his education and financial aspects. Therefore, in order to impress his father and win the spot, Andre's wife, Rhonda, encourages him to use manipulation to jeopardize his family. At firsthand, Andre attempts to convince his mother, Cookie, to manage Jamal and his music career, mostly to create friction between Jamal and Hakeem, who is managed by Lucious. 

The Outspoken King This is the episode we discover Andre suffers from Bipolar disorder. We discover this when his wife, Rhonda tries to persuade him to go to the doctor because he was talking in his sleep about himself in a third person. In the episode we also discover the 'blowjob bib'.

The Devil Quotes Scripture
Andre and his wife Rhonda attends Bunkie's funeral. Later in the episode, Andre needs information about witness who says he saw Lucious kill Bunkie. To get the information he needs Andre has sex with the Mayor over her deck in her office. Rhonda starts questioning how he got the information and he comes clean. But suprisely Rhonda is not mad and her and Andre indulge in a foreplay where she askes him to call her by the Mayors name. Later on in the esispode they attend a family dinner, the dinner goes dangerously OK.

False Imposition
Andre covers for his dad when his dad is asked what he was doing the night Bunkie died. There is also a flashback scene of a younger Andre covering for his dad.

Dangerous Bonds
Rhonda finds Tiana, Hakeem's girlfriend, kissing a woman and shows Andre. They decide to record this and put it online to any sites that follow Hakeem or Tiana. Also Andre puts his manipulating skills to work when he manipulates some of Hakeem's friends to rob Jamal.

Out, Damned Spot
Andre and Rhonda attends Lucious and Anika's engagement party and seem genuinely happy for them. When Andre is alone in his office Vernon comes in and starts choking Andre thinking he knew about Luscious killing Bunkie but Andre explains to him that he had no idea and that he just covered for his dad cause he was used to it. When Vernon then leaves Andre calls Rhonda and tells her about Luscious was the one that killed Bunkie. Later, in the men's toilet, Vernon apologizes to Andre.

Season 2

To be added

Season 3

To be added

Season 4

To be added

Season 5

To be added

Skills

Andre is very intelligent. He uses his intelligence and manipulation in order to keep Empire up and running. He is a very good businessman. Andre has shown to be good at fighting. This is shown when he managed to hold his own against Vernon but was overpowered quickly.

Personality

Andre is brilliant, manipulative, devious, and determined to get Empire Enterprises at any cost. He is pushed to the side by his father due to his lack of musical ability and tries to make it up by winning his father's favor. Andre has a high opinion of himself, as he believes that he is the most qualified heir to the company through a business perspective, using the help of his equally-cunning wife to tear his family apart so that he is the last one left standing to inherit it.

Due to his mental illness, Andre sometimes behaves in stark contrast to his usual calm demeanor. During a possible manic episode in "The Outspoken King", he becomes very sexual with Deputy Mayor Alvarez in order to obtain information about Bunkie's murder case. Later, he reenacts the encounter with Rhonda. In "Out, Damned Spot", a while after Vernon Turner put Andre in a choke hold to force him to confess about him covering up for his dad, Andre threatens to slit his throat, only for Turner to coolly remind him to take his medication.

Relationships

Rhonda Lyon (wife)

Andre and Rhonda met during a first year mixer at Wharton, when she was seeing someone snobby; however, Andre deduced she was just dating him to make it in the world and that was in act, and they eventually dated and got married. They are often shown throughout the series engaging in foreplay, and are suggested to have a very sexual relationship. They are a married couple, but have been shown to both commit adultery multiple times. However, they both seem knowledgeable about each others cheating, and encourage one another to go through with it if it means that it will help them gain control of the Empire. At one point, in,"The Lyon's Roar", Andre refers to their various affairs as a "game". Rhonda seems alright with it at first, but when Andre asks her to have sex with an elderly man in a wheelchair, she expresses her dislike for the "game".

Though they may have their issues, Rhonda seems to show concern for Andre's well being. She comforts him often during his bipolar episodes, and reminds him to take his medicine. She offers him advice, and cooperates with him to take over control of the Empire.

Lucious does not really approve of their relationship and believes that white people will never accept Andre.

Lucious Lyon (father)

Lucious is Andre's father. Andre is Lucious' only son without musical talent so Andre believes that Lucious treats him differently than he treats Jamal and Hakeem.  Lucious has experienced his mother's bipolar condition and she ended up committing suicide so he finds it difficult to trust Andre. In the show's second season Lucious allows Andre to return to Empire after Andre digs ups Vernon's body. When Lucious finds out that Rhonda is pregnant he buys the couple a house proving how much their relationship has improved.

Cookie Lyon (mother)

Cookie is Andre's mother. At the end of the show's first season Andre, Cookie, Hakeem and Anika plan a hostile takeover to remove Lucious as CEO.  The plan blows up in their face thanks to Mimi Whiteman. Andre and Cookie have a great relationship.  Andre initially teams up with his mother and Hakeem to create Lyon Dynasty but he quickly realizes that he belongs at Empire.  Cookie did not get upset, instead she supported Andre's decision.

Jamal Lyon (brother)

Jamal is Andre's younger brother. In the show's first season Andre gets Hakeem's friends to rob Jamal while he is recording at Ghetto Ass Studios. Andre tells his brother that he set up the robbery in order to get baptized.  While Hakeem hesitates before forgiving his brother, Jamal immediately forgive Andre for his mistake showing how much he loves and supports him.

Hakeem Lyon (brother)

Hakeem is Andre's youngest brother. In the show's first season Andre leaks a video of Tiana making out with her girlfriend humiliating Hakeem.  Andre also sends Hakeem's friends to rob Jamal leading Jamal to believe Hakeem set up the robbery.  In Empire's second season Andre confesses his past mistakes to his brothers in order to get baptized.  It will be interesting to see if Andre and Hakeem will be able to work together now that Hakeem is Empire's new leader. In the third season, Andre started a sexual relationship with Nessa, who Hakeem was attracted to. Andre even helped pit Nessa and Tiana against each other. He plotted with Shine to kill Lucious.

Vernon Turner (uncle figure)

Vernon was one of Lucious' good friends and the Lyon brothers considered him their uncle.  Vernon is Chairman of the Board at Empire and Lucious relies on him for advice and support.

Andre's wife, Rhonda, kills Vernon in the first season's finale episode by hitting him over the head with a candlestick.  Andre and Vernon were fighting and Rhonda panicked, ultimately murdering her husband's uncle. In order to be accepted back at Empire Lucious tells Andre that he has to give him something that no one else could provide. After Prosecutor Roxanne Ford (Tyra Ferrell) lies about having Vernon in custody Lucious is convinced that his legal problems will go away if he can make Vernon disappear forever. Lucious and his lawyer, Thirsty Rawlings (Andre Royo) track down Andre and Rhonda's car and find them digging up Vernon's body.  Lucious is pleased and allows Andre to return to Empire. Lucious puts Vernon's dead corpse in Roxanne Ford's car.

Deputy Mayor Raquel Alvarez (affair)

In the show's first season Lucious sends Andre to meet Deputy Mayor Raquel Alvarez, Lucious' connect in City Hall. Lucious needs information from her regarding the witness in Bunkie's murder and Andre has sex with her in order to obtain the information. In the show's second season Lucious sends Andre to her again to get Freda Gatz's charges dropped, but as Andre has given up his open relationship and infidelity, he instead blackmails her to get the charges dropped.

Gallery

Andre's Season 1

Andre's Season 2