Tyler James Williams Breaks Silence on Sexuality Rumors — Here’s What He Really Said

LOS ANGELES — Tyler James Williams, the Emmy-winning actor audiences first met as young Chris Rock in “Everybody Hates Chris,” is trending again after revealing he will step behind the camera for the first time on ABC’s smash hit “Abbott Elementary.” In a new interview published today, the 33-year-old star confirmed he is directing a Season 5 episode—while still playing stoic substitute-turned-teacher Gregory Eddie—calling the dual role “a challenge I’ve waited my whole career to tackle.” Williams explained that growing up on multicam sets gave him an “instinctual feel” for pacing and camera placement, skills he’s eager to translate into the single-cam, mock-doc style that has made Quinta Brunson’s classroom comedy a broadcast phenomenon. “My brain thinks in act breaks,” he said, adding that the show’s 22-episode network order forces the team to “play in a box nobody else is playing in,” a discipline he believes keeps “Abbott” sharp and accessible for mass audiences. Season 5 returns from its winter hiatus next week, and Williams teased “surprises that reward fans who’ve been with us since day one.” Social media buzz spiked overnight after his Good Morning America appearance, where he hinted that Gregory will face “his biggest professional decision yet” when a charter-school recruiter visits Abbott. The actor also promised that his directorial episode will “let the cast off the leash,” citing improvised moments with co-stars Chris Perfetti and Sheryl Lee Ralph that “show sides of them viewers haven’t seen.” Beyond “Abbott,” Williams said he is eyeing producing credits and developing original series that can “marry tight storytelling with ad-supported economics,” arguing that broadcast TV remains an “equalizer” in a fragmented streaming era. Fashion watchers can also expect the style-savvy performer to continue owning red carpets during the upcoming awards circuit; he and Perfetti have an unspoken competition to “out-dapper” each other that fans adore. With #TylerJamesWilliams climbing real-time trend charts, the actor-director’s next moves—on set, on screen, and behind the lens—are poised to keep him at the center of pop-culture conversation as “Abbott Elementary” heads into the coveted 100-episode club.