Entertainment

Andre & Anika Are Engaged IRL?!

by Lia Beck

Well, that came out of nowhere. According to multiple sources Empire stars Trai Byers and Grace Gealey are engaged. The two have never even confirmed that they're dating, but now it sounds like they're preparing to get married. I'm seeing a life ahead for these two where they never talk about their relationship publicly and bond over their secrecy at home. There will be talk of a wedding on a beautiful vineyard, a honeymoon in Fiji, two kids, and multiple homes around the globe and we'll never know if any of it's true. OK... maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but these people are tight lipped. Bustle reached out to Byers and Gealey's reps, who declined to comment.

According to Us Weekly, Byers proposed to Gealey on her birthday on Sunday, July 26. A source who spoke with the publication said, "He surprised her on her birthday. He popped the question and she was totally surprised and elated. She can’t stop looking at the ring! They celebrated all night."

A source who spoke with E! News added that the surprise was continued when Byers took Gealey out to dinner after the proposal: "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." The friends in attendance are said to have included Empire co-stars Gabourey Sidibe, Jussie Smollett, and Kaitlin Doubleday, the latter of whom recently celebrated her own engagement to Devin Lucien.

While the couple didn't confirm their engagement, we do know that the birthday party did happen. Both Byers and Gealey posted photos on Instagram of the event, and while they both sound really excited — like, more excited than you usually sound about a birthday party — there's no mention of an engagement. Sneaky, sneaky.

Congrats, guys. Well, maybe...