Tyler James Williams, actor of the critically acclaimed “Abbott Elementary” and child star of “Everybody Hates Chris,” has a whole family in show business, he revealed on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” on April 19.
Tyler appeared on Jennifer Hudson’s talk show to discuss the season two finale of “Abbott Elementary,” and one topic he discussed was his own parents, Le’Roy and Angela Williams.
Le’Roy and Angela were backup singers who have sung for some of the biggest musicians of their generation, including Pattie Labelle and the late Luther Vandross.
Reminiscing about his childhood home in Westchester, N.Y. and how his mother loves to plaster the walls with pictures, her legacy was brought up. Tyler tells a story about his Williams family home having a picture of Vandross holding Tyler’s baby brother when he was 18 months old.
“My brother’s screaming, by the way, as if he’s being tortured, not knowing he’s in an iconic photo,” Tyler told Hudson. “They go pretty far back, and like, It’s crazy how talent kind of moves through family.”
It is not clear to whom was featured in the picture, but Tyler has two brothers, Tyrel Jackson Williams, born March 16, 1997, who is best known for the Disney XD series “Lab Rats” and singing roles in Nickeldeons’ “The Backyardigans,” and Tylen Jacob Williams, who starred in the short-lived Nick Jr./Nick Mom sitcom “Instant Mom.”
Prior to his claim to fame on “Everybody Hates Chris,” a young Tyler appeared on television as an extra on “Saturday Night Live” in three separate episodes between 1999 and 2003; he starred in 10 episodes of the children’s television series “Sesame Street” in 2000; he was a voice actor on the Nick Jr. series “Little Bill”; and he played a character on the long-running NBC drama “Law and Order Special Victim Unit” in 2005 before playing Chris Rock.
