Anika Calhoun's Death in Empire: A Memorable Moment Explained

The hit TV show Empire was full of drama, and no character captured that better than Anika Calhoun, played by the amazing Grace Byers! This character, the antagonist, really did some damage in her four seasons.

The Rise And Fall Of Anika:

Anika was introduced in the pilot episode of Empire, where we see her as a fiercely independent woman from New Orleans who dated Lucious Lyon (played by Terrence Howard). But, this relationship took a turn. Things got interesting after Lucious cheated, leaving Anika hurt and enraged. Her obsession only grew! Her relationship took many interesting, exciting turns as she began to get involved with Lucious's son, Hakeem, portrayed by Bryshere Gray.

For the rest of her time on the show, Anika tried everything to take down Empire Entertainment, and it didn't stop there. However, all of her evil schemes kept backfiring. Fans hated her at various times throughout the show but even when her character seemed pretty terrible, Byers managed to keep everyone interested and gave this memorable and explosive performance that many found impressive, considering her character's transformation!

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Anika's Dramatic Exit:

Her death is a pretty epic event. Her downfall began with a time she spent in jail! She got out and was briefly reunited with her daughter Bella. After a serious of failures! Anika teamed up with Eddie Barker (Forest Whitaker), plotting against Empire, attempting to win! Anikas' final moments arrive on May 23, 2018 as the season 4 finale aired.

Everything unraveled. Her time in power was over.

We see this during a moment where Anika is on-screen, but it turns out she was given some "powdered pills!" The pills create some serious issues! As Anika hallucinates Rhonda Lyon (Kaitlin Doubleday), Anika falls over a balcony! She falls to her death after falling many floors! What a dramatic and shocking end!

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A Perfect Ending:

Anika (Grace Byers) and Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday) fighting on a balcony in Empire. Image

Some of you may think it’s cruel! Others might argue Anika’s death was the right way to bring her part of Empire to an end.

The time was right, and after multiple tries to do some horrible things Anika's demise really wrapped her arc beautifully! Even Byers seemed to suggest Anika deserved her outcome! It also brought some satisfaction after Anika had killed Rhonda!

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Empire's Showrunner And Byers Weigh In:

Anika (Grace Byers) staring at something in Empire Image

It was a pivotal event! With Anika’s death giving Empire some major, lasting impact!

Brett Mahoney, Empire's showrunner told TVLine that Anika achieved everything she wanted but ended up having to pay for everything! Her ultimate fate could not have been prevented! Karma was real! It all came crashing down.
Mahoney noted it wasn’t entirely intentional that Andre killed Anika. But it wasn’t unexpected as Anika was responsible for some seriously awful events that impact Andre and Rhonda!
Byers (through an interview with Jemele Hill) said it best - some people can't bounce back!

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The Impact Of Anika's Death:

Anika (Grace Byers) lying on a broken table in Empire Image

Anika's death, a super surprising event!

For those of you who were following, the plot thickens. After Rhonda's death this time around, this was the next huge plot event. With Anika’s pivotal part as one of Empire’s memorable characters. Her death allows Empire to shift to the next phase as this pivotal role brought about new questions, as new changes happened.

What also brought it home, was Kelly Patel who was shown acquiring Empire Entertainment! The arrival gave way to an amazing introduction! What's interesting is that fans finally get this reset! And we get to start Empire's season 5, with two years passing since that chaotic final episode in season 4. What this brings into focus is what made Anika so unique in a dramatic but ultimately, an impressive and unforgettable way that brought even more energy to the show!