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Tyler James Williams On Abbott Elementary Season 2 & Raps On GloRilla “FNF" Beat
Oct 25, 2022
Tyler James Williams stopped by Sway In The Morning to talk about season 2 of Abbott Elementary.
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Tyler James Williams On Abbott Elementary Season 2 & Raps On GloRilla & Cardi B "Tomorrow 2" Beat
https://youtu.be/sgpCyShKixc
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0:00
that right there is one of my favorite
0:01
shows running right now season two of
0:03
the series Abbott Elementary is airing
0:05
Wednesdays at 9pm on ABC Heather B I
0:08
know it I watched the episode last night
0:10
about that juice okay first the first
0:12
season was nominated for six prime time
0:14
Emmy Awards winning three of them
0:18
are good friends a family member yeah
0:20
he grew up with us we grew up with him
0:22
facts we watched him grow up wow that's
0:25
[ __ ] he's been putting it down since
0:27
Everybody Hates Chris even prior to that
0:29
but that's the one that catapulted his
0:32
his his image his um his career you know
0:35
what he has to offer to this industry
0:37
we've seen him do that United States
0:40
versus Billy Holiday which was one of my
0:42
favorite oh yeah um projects to watch
0:44
him do because he shows uh unlimited
0:47
um unlimited Talent you can't pigeonhole
0:50
this young man and then recently in
0:52
recent years I noticed he started
0:54
getting his body together and um
0:57
I still start getting his body together
0:59
I mean
1:02
yeah I did some push-ups you did some
1:05
push-ups but it just when I see friends
1:07
and people I know start getting their
1:09
body together I feel like they
1:10
subliminally telling me I need to get my
1:12
body together and I haven't done that I
1:15
feel like everybody on their own
1:17
physical Journey you're just saying that
1:19
because we're on the mic welcome
1:21
Tyler James Williams is back
1:26
good to be back feels good to be home
1:28
yes you have no idea well the great part
1:31
about watching you in your career
1:33
congratulations thank you I appreciate
1:35
it congratulations we don't know if
1:36
you've ever been a starving artist
1:38
because we always see you yeah yeah yeah
1:40
I didn't really have time I was like
1:42
four I guess that was the last time
1:44
[Laughter]
1:48
yeah
1:50
[Applause]
1:51
you know I started really early you
1:54
started early I did yeah I started
1:56
really early do you feel because we have
1:58
a lot of Viola Davis came here and spoke
2:01
very eloquently on how many actors
2:03
aren't being aren't being successful at
2:06
making a living only what five percent
2:08
make over 50. that's not bad I mean
2:10
that's not heard it was like one or one
2:13
percent makes over 50k a year or
2:15
something like that
2:20
there's a minimum and sag that you have
2:23
to make every year just to qualify for
2:25
the insurance and that might be 20K and
2:28
I could safely say there were years I
2:31
didn't make that in the Screen Actors
2:33
Guild to qualify for the insurance damn
2:35
uh the most most actors I know do not
2:38
and that's five percent even sounds High
2:40
yeah that sounds high so that at what
2:43
age then Tyler did you get your first
2:45
20K when did you qualify for the health
2:47
insurance
2:53
I want to say I was maybe about like 12
2:56
13 something like that 12 or 13 12 or
3:00
13. yeah growing up on screen did you
3:03
ever have
3:04
um
3:05
complications with um
3:09
living off screen living in everyday
3:12
Society 100 yeah I mean I think that's
3:15
that's kind of been the struggle of my
3:18
particular existence you know what I
3:20
mean so much of my life has been on
3:22
screen and I think particularly when you
3:24
grow up with people and you're in the
3:25
houses a lot they think that they know
3:27
you so I have this thing that happens
3:29
with people when they approach me they
3:32
approach me based on what they think
3:33
that they know but not who I actually am
3:35
so that's one of the complications is
3:37
that oftentimes I had to make my peace
3:41
with not being actually seen being
3:44
looked at but not being seen wow and
3:47
that's you know I
3:49
even now I think I still go back and
3:51
forth with that but you know therapy is
3:53
a beautiful thing therapy is beautiful
3:55
to the therapist how long have you done
3:58
when did you first start doing therapy I
4:00
started a couple of years ago
4:03
um how old were you I want to say I was
4:05
23. 23 I was about 23 23 because I think
4:09
that's that was the hard part and that
4:10
was like trying to articulate what I was
4:12
feeling and eventually my therapist
4:16
helped me put words to it was like oh
4:17
you don't feel seen mm-hmm you feel like
4:19
people look at you throughout the day
4:21
but they're looking right through you
4:22
they're looking at a character they're
4:23
looking at work that you've done but
4:25
they don't see actually you and that's
4:27
something that I don't think a lot of
4:29
people experience as young as I did at
4:31
least their teens they had that or their
4:33
High School experience they had that but
4:36
for me because I've been working as long
4:38
as I have I've always kind of been
4:41
connected to the work that I've done
4:43
um but the most important thing that I
4:45
found and that you know when working
4:47
through is seeing myself okay that
4:50
that's the only thing that you need
4:51
really yeah to see yourself what do you
4:53
think when you look in the mirror who do
4:55
you what do you see
4:57
complexity yeah um yeah a lot of like
5:01
things that contradict one another I'm
5:03
simultaneously you know funny and high
5:06
energy but then also really
5:07
introspective and really chill and I
5:11
think that dichotomy of who I am I need
5:13
to accept that's what I see is that I
5:16
can be multiple things at one time that
5:18
I think this industry a lot of times
5:20
tries to put you in a box yeah and say
5:22
oh you're this yeah and no I'm not
5:25
that's a part of what I am it's a facet
5:28
of who I am but that's not the entirety
5:30
of who I am
5:32
has working in this industry especially
5:35
because you have to play so many roles
5:37
and then you're working with other
5:38
people playing other roles has it made
5:40
it easier for you to accept people in
5:43
the outside world
5:45
100 I think the the basis of the job
5:48
that we do is empathy right if you can't
5:50
empathize with the position of your
5:52
character then you can't play them
5:54
um so what helps in everyday life is
5:57
empathizing a hundred percent of the
5:59
time that way I don't have to turn it on
6:00
and off so you know I think I have a
6:03
unique perspective when I see something
6:04
happening in the world my first thought
6:06
is to try to connect to it emotionally
6:08
regardless of if I agree with it or not
6:11
regardless of if it makes sense to me
6:14
can I feel what they're feeling and it
6:16
does make
6:18
life to me a bit more beautiful you know
6:21
I don't find myself as we live in this
6:23
area like everything everybody's so
6:24
angry about everything you know what I
6:25
mean like yes we can be angry about
6:26
things we there's things that we don't
6:28
like in this work we got to do but can
6:29
you connect to the humanity in that
6:31
person and that it doesn't feel as shaky
6:34
as Shaky Ground yes [ __ ] we learn it
6:37
right now don't put them down therapy
6:39
lessons we getting them for free right
6:41
now Tyler James Williams is with us
6:43
right now did you ever when you did your
6:46
uh dear white people did was there was a
6:50
a portion of your audience
6:52
that that um
6:54
was maybe culture shocked because you've
6:57
always had a crossover audience I mean
6:59
you had a crossover appeal the title
7:01
Dear white people if you don't if you
7:02
ain't read to you know if you haven't
7:04
read it or saw it you know you wouldn't
7:06
know what it stood for did you get any
7:07
reaction from any part of your audience
7:10
yeah I mean
7:12
I think that was like what 2012. yeah so
7:14
that was also like in a different era
7:16
that I think I was concerned and I think
7:19
most of the cast was when we did it we
7:20
were like this could either be really
7:21
great or it could end all of our careers
7:24
um
7:25
I personally have learned to love that
7:27
space because I like to do something
7:28
with a little bit of risk
7:30
um but yeah I think initially it people
7:32
saw the title and thought it may be
7:34
antagonistic and that wasn't the point
7:35
it was an open letter
7:38
um it was talking about the things that
7:39
we weren't allowed to talk about and I
7:41
think Justin Simeon did a really good
7:42
job at that
7:44
um and that was also before the show you
7:45
know people see the show now and they're
7:47
like oh it's this thing but when we did
7:48
it it was just a risk you know just
7:50
trying to you know make something
7:51
interesting and talk about things that
7:53
weren't being talked about
7:55
um and yeah that was I think but that
7:57
was also pushed back in a lot of ways
7:59
because it didn't it wasn't just an open
8:01
letter to white people it discussed you
8:03
know things that black people had to
8:04
deal with as well that I think we didn't
8:06
want to address at the time either you
8:08
know it was in the Forefront of our
8:10
relationship with the gay community and
8:13
how do we respond to and protect one
8:15
another in that way and people you know
8:17
it's the point of art is to get people
8:19
starting a conversation they don't want
8:20
to have and I think it did that in a lot
8:22
of different ways wow Tyler James
8:26
Williams is here man and I gotta say man
8:28
I've seen a lot of people come up here
8:30
with a lot of robust truck jewelry on
8:32
their neck but there's something about
8:35
this singular chain that this man has on
8:37
that's just striking to me I don't know
8:40
what that is man is that what kind of
8:42
gold is that you got that from the super
8:45
glitter you got this [ __ ] from Pluto I
8:48
have a really good stylist he's a black
8:50
designer named thrash and he he's a
8:52
minimalist and that's what I love about
8:54
him I think we we've been lately I've
8:55
been just having more fun with style in
8:57
general and I I personally don't
9:00
resonate with flexing on my audience I
9:01
never have you know what I mean that's
9:03
something that I don't understand people
9:04
are living like everyday lives that are
9:07
hard and they're putting food on the
9:08
table and surviving they don't
9:09
necessarily need to see us shining
9:12
constantly
9:14
um so I've always been somebody who's
9:15
like you know closer to subtlety and he
9:18
really gets that
9:19
um so that's that's how that came
9:22
together what's his name thrash I feel
9:24
like thrash could connect me have it be
9:26
what you think so you asking Tyler to
9:29
connect you 100 bro I will 100
9:32
connection I needed he will uh he'll
9:34
lace you okay I still got on Wardrobe
9:37
from MTV a couple years you know what
9:39
but you know what at this point is retro
9:41
it's vintage I love that let's go back
9:43
to the early 2000s I want to see you in
9:45
some like massive pants okay you want to
9:47
see the big pants
9:48
the big white tee you guys bring it back
9:51
okay I got that I was one of the
9:53
Architects hey man I'm reading your body
9:55
like I don't you have a beautiful uh
9:59
curation going on on your body yeah yeah
10:02
what can you tell us about the the tax
10:04
these are um messages to myself they're
10:06
reminders it kind of goes hand in hand
10:08
with the uh with the therapy I like on
10:11
this arm it's we're only here briefly
10:13
and while I'm here I want to allow
10:14
myself joy to remind myself that I'm
10:16
just I'm supposed to be here to have a
10:18
good time I think I got so wrapped up in
10:20
the work for so long I forgot to have a
10:22
good time
10:24
um yeah they're just like small
10:27
after all we're nothing more or less
10:29
than what we choose to reveal so we were
10:31
just talking I was talking about this
10:32
you got to keep things for yourself you
10:34
got to you can't share everything with
10:36
the world you got to keep things for you
10:38
you have to set that boundary
10:40
and you also have to understand when
10:43
someone doesn't get you maybe it's
10:45
because you haven't revealed enough
10:46
vulnerabilities in a part of that
10:48
relationship there was so much in my
10:49
life where I would be crying out for
10:52
what I thought was help or something and
10:54
I just wasn't actually by not actually
10:57
saying no I need help with something I
10:59
need time I need a break if I don't say
11:01
I need to break nobody will know right
11:04
and then the schedule will just be full
11:06
and I'll be suffering from it yeah um so
11:08
I had to learn how to articulate that I
11:10
needed something and that's when I got
11:11
that one who helps you now
11:14
a number of people
11:17
a number of people I think um family has
11:21
been a big one like my baby brother
11:23
lives with me
11:24
um and because he was also raised in the
11:26
industry we know each other's struggles
11:30
and we keep each other in line and check
11:31
and we can check in with each other and
11:33
he can tell
11:34
specifically when I'm overdoing it when
11:36
I'm overworking it and all that and
11:38
there's something about family being
11:39
able to check you family can check you
11:41
like nobody else like that I don't care
11:42
family will be like I don't care what's
11:44
going on I don't care how well you're
11:45
doing sit down you need to sit down and
11:48
that's
11:49
very valuable to me incredibly valuable
11:52
both your brothers act right yeah both
11:54
of them y'all doing anything together as
11:56
a triumphant you know what's weird
11:59
no
12:02
uh no no no you know that we
12:06
I think because so much of our Lives has
12:08
been work we enjoy not working together
12:11
we have yet to actually sit down and try
12:13
to work together we're just usually
12:15
sitting around kicking it like it's our
12:17
only time to chill
12:18
um people bring it up all the time and
12:20
then we I'm like why don't we ever
12:21
actually try to do something it just it
12:23
never happens but at some point maybe
12:25
I'm assuming assume it's like something
12:27
we're gonna have an idea that we want to
12:28
do together
12:29
um but as of now now
12:31
Heather before you go I know you got to
12:32
go to Urban view but you you're a big
12:34
fan of Abbott Elementary oh my gosh okay
12:36
yeah before I go to work speaking of
12:38
work um
12:40
sway mentioned at the beginning of this
12:42
you have been coming here we've been on
12:43
the show 11 years now believe it or not
12:45
this has been 11. congratulations thank
12:48
you congratulations to you as well
12:50
because you shared it with us you've
12:52
been here you've been here for the 11
12:54
years and I feel like this is the first
12:57
time like I really am getting to know
13:01
you now like for you sharing everything
13:03
with us thank you well sharing what you
13:06
was comfortable with sharing with us
13:07
thank you Tyler for that and it makes it
13:10
even more now watching this show at the
13:12
elementary and being a fan what you've
13:15
been able to do and deliver with all you
13:17
have been dealing with and processing it
13:19
makes your performance now even more
13:22
spectacular like all of you guys doing
13:23
an amazing job but for you to have been
13:26
in this industry this long and
13:28
processing all you had to process and
13:30
deal with it and you deliver every week
13:32
like this on this show congratulations
13:34
young man for real life thank you you're
13:37
crushing it that means it really means
13:39
the world that's like it was saying
13:41
before somebody's been working on
13:43
being more transparent and being seen
13:46
being seen by people who've been you
13:48
know you've been up and down in my
13:50
career you know what I mean like from
13:51
the beginning until now yeah to see
13:53
people who see that progression and can
13:55
speak to that really means a lot for me
13:58
so thank you no for sure
14:00
thank you why is this so special to you
14:03
you've done a lot of hit shows what
14:05
makes this one what it is it's got hard
14:07
yeah it's got hard it's meeting people
14:09
where they are I think we came out of a
14:12
very hard time in these last two three
14:14
years and people just want to have a
14:17
good time and they want to laugh and
14:19
they want to see that you know their
14:21
struggles can resonate in multiple ways
14:23
and they can you know there I mean in a
14:25
therapeutic way laugh about them
14:27
um that's what you know I think we we
14:29
want to make sure that teachers are well
14:31
represented and that you know we give
14:33
voice to what they're going through but
14:35
I think ultimately it's just about the
14:37
heart of the thing you know what I mean
14:38
you don't we don't need as much cerebral
14:40
comedy right now yeah we need some heart
14:42
there it is Tyler James Williams man
14:44
come on we didn't even get into the bars
14:48
he used to send me bars I used to be
14:50
like what the hell is going on
14:56
I love your voice brother next time baby
14:59
you still I know you're still writing
15:00
right no I've always said something okay
15:02
I've always got a little something you
15:03
say that like you had something now I
15:05
wouldn't show up if I didn't know
15:06
something
15:09
[ __ ] you take my picture to us before
15:11
you go to work
15:15
[Music]
15:19
I need something a little faster a
15:21
little faster though you're not actually
15:22
actually you got um fnf that glorilla
15:37
Okay Tyler James Williams
15:40
um Abbott Elementary
15:41
congratulations season two Wednesdays 9
15:45
p.m on ABC you may not know this or
15:48
probably you do if you followed him you
15:51
know he's not just a thespian it's a
15:53
whole slew of talents this man got
15:55
welcome to the Valley of the hyena
15:58
foreign
16:08
[Music]
16:14
[Music]
16:28
[Music]
16:42
[Music]
16:53
[Music]
17:03
[Music]
17:08
changing it losing my mind going insane
17:10
in it I'm the truth please believe me I
17:12
don't think that you should leave me
17:13
because be a billboard the TV either way
17:16
you gonna see me being with me can be
17:18
hard but trust me being my ex ain't easy
17:19
so don't be tripping don't be needy
17:21
cause I be chilling I'll be freezy I'm
17:23
not the one you want the dice with I'm
17:25
the one you spend your life with I
17:26
haven't seen it like a vision girl I'm a
17:28
little something like a psychic my
17:29
tailor said that you were nice fit I
17:30
suspect the difference your tight grip
17:32
that [ __ ] real and not [ __ ] clear and
17:34
you can tell it when the light hits
17:46
[Applause]
17:50
I'm about to be his dancer
17:57
you got too much light in the room we
18:00
got a hyena
18:01
wow you know I have to come which by the
18:04
way I gotta I got to say thank you to
18:06
you
18:07
because and I hope we got a little bit
18:09
of time when I came in here to promote
18:10
Let It Shine yes I had been on that
18:12
press tour and a lot of people tried to
18:15
set me up to create a viral video of me
18:18
failing at something you were the only
18:20
person who said I feel like you actually
18:22
have something and you gave me a shot
18:24
and you gave me the five fingers and you
18:25
were like let's go if you want to make
18:27
this work yes this is where you're gonna
18:29
make this work and you added legitimacy
18:31
to that film and I'll never forget that
18:33
I'll always remember it and I'll tell
18:36
everybody over and over again if I'm
18:37
getting bars off I'm only doing it
18:39
that's way in the morning
18:41
wow
18:45
brother love you man wow but you got
18:48
nasty over the years boy you're doing a
18:49
lot of [ __ ] now huh she said I'm
18:52
about to be I'm 30.
19:01
it ain't too big I'll beg the difference
19:07
I appreciate your words and I hear you
19:10
brother nothing but love thank you and I
19:12
received that man appreciate you stay
19:14
great man Tyler James Williams Abbott
19:17
Elementary don't even come up here if
19:19
your bars don't compare
19:21
don't even do it we haven't had MC's
19:24
because Heather got mad at me just
19:25
letting anybody come up here because
19:27
Tyler they was he wasn't right and they
19:33
and they said I'm like hell no the bar
19:35
here is high yeah the bar here is high
19:37
and I thank you for keeping it high
19:39
we're gonna keep it yeah we're gonna
19:40
keep it high we're gonna keep it up got
19:41
you somebody got to be a gay people that
19:43
coach we got it don't worry we do this
19:46
now we wake up
19:47
we inhale that shake your hands with
19:50
everybody Tyler and kissing babies all
19:52
right Tyler thanks for coming by tonight
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