Former Empire star's friend REGRETS filing criminal charges against him after physical fight
The 31-year-old OnlyFans model turned himself into the Chesapeake Sheriff Office in Virginia on June 15 and was charged with one misdemeanor count of assault and battery on the 36-year-old singer-actor.
Chosen had claimed a 'drunk' Bryshere left the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Chesapeake 'without paying' and when he followed him to the parking lot he 'charged into me with his shoulder' and 'punched me' while behind a car as he recorded the incident on his phone.
'It was not a "payment dispute." It was not that at all. It was by sheer [fact of him] not being on meds as he has been,' Wilkins told TMZ on Saturday.
'It was not about putting him in jail it was about trying to make sure that he understands consequences for actions, but moreso if they're in a situation the judge will be able to assign him more treatment as opposed to putting him in jail.'
The Spotlight singer said he 'kind of regrets' pressing charges on Gray, whom he said was like 'my little brother.'
'I didn't really want him in the jail because I thought about it and those boys are going to take advantage of him,' Chosen admitted.
'I'll say it on record, if he goes and gets evaluated and he [starts] working on himself then you know, that's it. You know then we can drop the charge, but he has to be stabilized - whether he wants to do inpatient or outpatient that's totally up to him. Until this incident, I have no had any issues with him. He was doing everything he was supposed to.'
Wilkins said the 'Yazz the Greatest' actor-rapper has been diligent about going to therapy and being on his medication and 'was really beginning to focus,' but 'distractions' like opportunistic starstruck fans plied him with too many drinks.
Chosen - who paid Bryshere's bond despite having a 'no contact' order in place - explained: 'I'm not trying to be his dad. I'm trying to be a very good friend because, regardless if you want to be in entertainment or not, you need to be safe.'
Gray - who's been dropped by his PR team - and Wilkins were executive producing and starring in a reality show called The Starboys about gay men in the industry, but Gray is no longer involved with the project.
'@thestarboystv cast and production team did not agree to @thechosenshow speaking to @tmz_TV!' spokesman J. Christian wrote in a statement Saturday.
'It was his independent choice and does not involve the rest of the cast or production. This show will not include violence like other shows featuring men or gay men of color...Although this conflict has [happened], this project is entertaining and relatable with strong topics and heated conversations at times. This is a separate incident that does not reflect the views of @thestarboystv.'
The Philly native was previously arrested in 2020 for felony aggravated assault against an unnamed woman claiming to be 'his wife' and he was sentenced to 10 days in county jail and three years probation.
Two years later, Bryshere was reportedly arrested for violating his probation for allegedly failing to inform his probation officer about multiple run-ins with law enforcement.
The Spotlight singer added: 'It was about trying to make sure that he understands consequences for actions, but moreso if they're in a situation the judge will be able to assign him more treatment as opposed to putting him in jail'
Chosen said he 'kind of regrets' pressing charges on Gray, whom he said was like 'my little brother'
He continued: 'I thought about it and those boys [in prison] are going to take advantage of him...I'll say it on record, if he goes and gets evaluated and he [starts] working on himself then you know, that's it. You know then we can drop the charge, but he has to be stabilized'
The Philly native was previously arrested in 2020 (mugshot pictured) for felony aggravated assault against an unnamed woman claiming to be 'his wife' and he was sentenced to 10 days in county jail and three years probation
Gray - who's due back in court later this month - is best known for his role as Hakeem Lyon in Lee Daniels and Danny Strong's primetime musical drama Empire, which aired for six seasons spanning 2015-2020 on Fox
The 43-year-old hate crime hoaxer only served six days of his 150-day sentence for five counts of felony disorderly conduct before the Illinois Supreme Court reversed his conviction on November 21 citing his sweetheart plea deal with Cook County State's Attorney Kim Fox (pictured in 2022)
Gray - who's due back in court later this month - is best known for his role as Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) and Cookie Lyon's (Taraji P. Henson) undisciplined son Hakeem in Lee Daniels and Danny Strong's primetime musical drama Empire, which aired for six seasons spanning 2015-2020 on Fox.
His disgraced former castmate Jussie Smollett swore he was attacked in 2019 by two Trump supporters, who turned out to be his former personal trainers the Osundairo Brothers, and they claimed he hired them to pour bleach on him and put a noose around his neck in order to boost his celebrity profile.
The 43-year-old hate crime hoaxer only served six days of his 150-day sentence for five counts of felony disorderly conduct before the Illinois Supreme Court reversed his conviction on November 21 citing his sweetheart plea deal with Cook County State's Attorney Kim Fox.
Instead of paying the city of Chicago back its $120,106 in restitution, Jussie paid his $10K bond and completed 15 hours of community service before donating $50K to the Building Better Futures Center for the Arts and $10K to the Chicago Torture Justice Center.
Bryshere is also well known for his portrayal of the real-life Boston boybander Michael Bivins in Chris Robinson's three-part miniseries miniseries The New Edition Story, which aired in 2017 on BET.
Gray - who boasts 8.5M social media followers - is still very active on his OnlyFans account, which is currently offering free subscriptions.
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