Byers then moved to New York City, where she performed
Off-Broadway, including in
Venus Flytrap: A Femme Noir Mystery, and
Rent. In 2013, she performed in the Chicago productions of
The Misanthrope and
Tartuffe. In 2014, Gealey was cast as Anika Calhoun in the
Fox musical prime time drama,
Empire opposite
Terrence Howard and
Taraji P. Henson. The series debuted on January 7, 2015. She left the series after four seasons in 2018. In 2017, Byers was cast as Kate, a jazz singer and lounge owner, in the indie thriller
Bent, making her big screen debut. In 2018, Byers published a children's book titled
I Am Enough, based on her experiences being bullied as a child for having deaf parents. She wrote it to empower children to love and accept themselves. From 2018 to 2019, Byers starred as Reeva Payge in the Fox superhero series
The Gifted. In 2021, she began starring as Quinn Joseph in the Amazon comedy series,
Harlem. ==Personal life==