As the world still adjusts to life without EMPIRE, one of the show’s popular characters adjusts to life without a JOB!

There was a ton of drama crammed into the explosive 2-hour season finale of show.

[READ: EMPIRE Season Finale Draws Record Breaking Ratings! Watch Full Episode…]

Word on the curb is that Malik Yoba‘s ‘real life’ drama was a factor in the decision to kill off his character, Vernon Turner as several of his EMPIRE cast members reportedly vowed to walk away due to his erratic behavior and suspected drug use.

Details below…

For the record, Malik Yoba was just as surprised about his onscreen ‘death’ as you were and he recently told TMZ that he had no clue his character would be killed off before season 2.

Malik came on “TMZ Live” and laid out the painful moment Lee Daniels informed him his services would not be needed for Season 2 — and it’s a real kick in the gut. Let’s just say he was doing charity work AND promoting the very show … that was about to dump him.

Malik adds the decision to kill off someone was the network’s call — but picking HIS character? Well, watch … like Mick Jagger said, he can’t get no satisfaction.

While Malik claims he had no clue, several sources on Empire’s production staff claim it was his erratic behavior due to drug use that sparked his demise.

According to a recent email tip I received:

you are gonna hear a few birdies say that lee told malik that he was done because fox said he needed to “kill someone off”.

you’ll hear some other birdies that claim to be close to lee say that lee wanted malik’s cakes and malik wasn’t giving them up so he killed his character off.

all false.

malik is on drugs again and made everyone on the set uncomfortable.

It’s rumored that one of the show’s stars even threatened to quit over during filming of the 10th episode, but Daniels intervened and increased their pay.

Allegedly…. when Fox network executives caught wind of all the drama on the set, they told Daniels to “fire malik or we will”.

Yoba claims producer Lee Daniels told him Fox Execs said ‘somebody’ had to die, but he never got a clear understanding why it was his character who had to go.

Whatever the case, Daniels did what he was told and filming for season 2 of the popular show resumes mid May, 2015.

As the allegations of drug use run rampant, Malik Yoba recently posted the following online response:

What do you think of all this EMPIRE drama?

Will you miss Malik Yoba’s character (Vernon) on the show?