Malik Yoba Upset that Empire writers Killed off Vernon | Chocolate Informed Online Magazine
According to Uptown Magazine
Fans of the hit FOX show Empire got their fair share of jaw-dropping moments during the season 1 finale – the most shocking of all being the death of Lucious Lyons’ right hand man Vernon. Though it did make for a juicy twist in the plot, Malik Yoba is none-too-thrilled that the creative minds inside Empire’s writing room decided to kill off his character so soon.
In an interview with TMZ Live, Yoba revealed that he isn’t at all happy about his character’s death. “To this day, I don’t know — in their infinite wisdom — who thought it was the best approach, but someone did. I never got a clear answer on it. But it wasn’t about the work or ethics or work ethics. It was the plot line.” He continued, “Vernon’s gone, but Malik lives on, and…it’s a great opportunity to push forward the work that I’m doing in terms of building my own empire, if you will.”
He also shared that he received the news shortly before the premiere of episode 12. According to Yoba, Lee Daniels called him personally and told him the powers that be at FOX requested that someone die in the season finale, and an executive decision was made that it would be Vernon.