Tyler James Williams is beloved for his roles in “Everybody Hates Chris” and “Abbott Elementary.” Though most of his career is centered around his comedic nature, he has been open about his battle with Crohn’s disease. Now, he’s discussing how bad the illness became and how he overcame the worst of it.
Williams spoke to PEOPLE in September 2025 about his health journey. This comes as he’s now the face of AbbVie’s “Beyond a Gut Feeling” campaign. He said, “I spent a portion of my life and career in wild amounts of discomfort and pain, only to find out that had I had a more in-depth conversation with a gastroenterologist, a lot of that could have either been treated more directly or avoided.”
He added, “So, I don’t want anybody who’s in the position that I was in previously to have to go through the same things.”
Regarding his symptoms, he shared, “I’ve experienced some of the milder symptoms of the disease, but then also some of the very extremes as well. But so much of that was due to the neglect of not treating the disease ahead of time.”
Williams Has Been Hospitlaized Multiple Times Due to Crohn’s Disease
The “Abbot Elementary” star went on to discuss some of his worst experiences that came from his Crohn’s diagnosis. Notably, he was hospitalized multiple times due to complications. Williams said, “On one of my first hospitalizations, I went in and I was waiting for the doctor to give me some kind of big, really scary diagnosis.”
He continued, “He mentioned Crohn’s disease, and I didn’t know what that was. So, although it was explained to me, there was a certain level of seriousness I just didn’t take to it. I thought I could just work through it until ultimately I ended up in such an acute position of pain because the disease was kind of running wild.”
Sadly, Williams then needed to have surgery in January 2016. He described his experience, saying, “I needed to have three surgeries over the course of three months and was hospitalized on both the east and west coast for the better part of a year.”
Williams also shared that there were long periods of time when he was unable to eat or drink. Additionally, his diagnosis took a toll on his mental health. Today, he emphasizes eating the right foods and working out.
He added, “So I’m on medication and doing well. I’ve been in what we refer to as remission for at least the last year and a half, if not two years. My gastroenterologists are really happy with where I’m at.”
‘Abbott Elementary’ Returns in October
Williams and the cast of “Abbot Elementary” are returning to television on October 1. This will mark the show’s fifth season. According to Variety, the show is still one of the most popular sitcoms on television. Notably, the fourth-season premiere drew only slightly under 9 million viewers.
In addition to Williams, the show stars Quinta Brunson, Janelle James, Chris Perfetti, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Lisa Ann Walter.
