All About Tyler James Williams’ Parents, Singers Angela and Le’Roy Williams

Here’s everything to know about Tyler James Williams’ parents, Angela and Le’Roy Williams

Tyler James Williams isn’t the only talented member of the Williams family.

The Abbott Elementary star's parents, Angela Williams and Le'Roy Williams, first met when they were both singers in gospel groups. It wasn’t long before the pair were singing background for icons, like Luther Vandross and Patti LaBelle.

Williams shared stories about growing up in such a talented family during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show in April 2023. When host Jennifer Hudson asked if he could sing, he said, "I can hold a note, but ... when you have a family of singers who can flat-footed blow, ‘Can you sing?’ is a touchy question. ... Compared to them, no I cannot.”

In addition to Tyler, the couple have two younger sons: Tyrel Jackson Williams and Tylen Jacob Williams, who both have careers in acting and music.

Tyler has also spoken about how his family supported him through his Crohn’s disease diagnosis and hospitalization. “I have to give a huge thanks to my family. They stepped up in a situation that was very, very difficult. It can’t be easy to watch,” he shared in a 2018 video for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.

Here is everything to know about Tyler James Williams’ parents, Angela J. Williams and Le'Roy Williams.

Angela and Le'Roy are accomplished singers

During his appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Tyler revealed that his parents sang background for legendary performers, including Vandross, LaBelle and Nona Hendryx.

“I come from a singing family,” he said. “It’s crazy how talent kind of moves through families. … My brothers still do music now.”

He also shared an anecdote about Vandross and one of his brothers. “My baby brother was 18 months old maybe, and there’s a photo of Luther Vandross holding him, and he’s screaming ... as if he’s being tortured, not knowing he's in an iconic photo,” Tyler said.

Both Angela and Le’Roy are credited as background singers on Vandross’ 1998 album I Know.

They met through the gospel music community

According to a now-deleted Instagram post that Angela shared in October 2018, she and Le'Roy first met in 1980.

“We met and started dating while singing in two separate gospel groups ... 38 years ago,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself and Le'Roy.

In a 2015 blog post, which she also posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), Angela recalled that she was 14 and he was 17 when they were introduced at a mutual friend’s get-together with their respective groups.

“I had been praying for God to send me my husband (yes at 14), because months earlier, my ‘church boyfriend’ had broken up with me,” she wrote. “I quickly found that what a man/husband was supposed to be looked a lot like the type of man my dad was to my mom.”

Angela shared more about her music career and her family in another now-deleted Instagram post, noting that gospel music and R&B were her favorite genres to write and listen to. She took a break from songwriting after her sons were born.

Angela and Le'Roy got married in 1987

Angela and Le'Roy got married on July 26, 1987. In a since-deleted Instagram post celebrating their 33rd wedding anniversary in 2020, she wrote about their relationship milestones.

“We laid foundations & built a home together. We had 3 handsome baby boys together. We raised 3 awesome men together,” she shared.

She continued with a description of how their relationship keeps growing. “He is STILL my best friend! He is STILL the best date ever! I STILL love holding his hand! I STILL love waking up to him every morning. We STILL build on foundations,” the Williams matriarch added.

They have three sons

Angela and Le'Roy are parents to three sons. The eldest, Tyler James, was born on Oct. 9, 1992. Their second son, Tyrel Jackson, was born on March 16, 1997; and their youngest son, Tylen Jacob, was born on Dec. 8, 2001.

Over the years, she has written sweet messages celebrating all of her boys’ birthdays. For Tyler’s 27th birthday in 2019, she wrote on X, “This focused, multi-gifted, driven, benevolent, independent, terse, hilarious, insightfully intelligent warrior of a human being is walking out and into everything his maternal grandma said he would.”

For Tyrel’s 22nd birthday, she posted on X, “Happy 22nd birthday to my multitalented, intelligent, hilarious, kind, 2nd born son @tyrel_j_will ❤️👶🏽❤️ He has my smile and his dad’s heart and I love him so!”

In a now-deleted post in honor of Tylen’s birthday in 2019, she opened up about her relationship with her youngest son. “THIS young man is my forever sushi date, hand-holder in public, and anywhere dance partner!” she wrote. “He is the perfect blend of his two older brothers and 1/3 of the reason I will be doing abdominal crunches for the rest of my life!"

Angela wrote a book on parenting children in the entertainment industry

All three of her kids have been in the entertainment industry since childhood, so Angela has plenty of experience to share about parenting talented children. In 2015, she published a book called My Child Is Going to Be Rich & Famous: How to Successfully Balance Family, Parenting and Entertainment.

She noted that the book was written from a mother’s perspective and not meant to be discouraging, but was instead intended to help people make the best decisions for their families.

“By the time you finish reading this book, you will have some of the necessary information and tools needed to make sound personal, financial, creative, emotional and parenting decisions for your child and your family regarding entertainment issues,” she wrote.

Angela is an ordained minister

Angela is also an ordained minister. In a 2014 post on Hollywood Mom Blog, she wrote, “As a Christian minister, my faith is very important to me. It is the glue that keeps my family and me focused and able to balance our busy schedules in this business."

Le'Roy was a law enforcement officer for 20 years

According to his LinkedIn profile, Le'Roy was a law enforcement officer with the New York City Police Department from July 1987 to December 2007. He served as a patrol sergeant and as an instructor supervisor in the N.Y.C. Police Academy.

In an interview with Family Entourage, Tyler shared that he sought his dad’s insight when he accepted a role in Detroit (2017), a film based on a true story of police violence in the 1967 Detroit Uprising, during which police raided an after-hours bar and arrested 85 African Americans, per the University of Michigan.

“The first conversation we had when I found out I was going to be doing this was asking him if he knew anything about the incident,” Tyler said. “What was really surprising is that he did not. Especially for him because he taught in the academy for 10 years. His whole thing was, ‘This would be something that we would want to know so we can directly teach against it.’ ”

He’s currently an adjunct professor

Le'Roy is currently an adjunct professor at Monroe College, a private school in the Bronx, New York. According to Monroe’s website, he teaches in the School of Criminal and Social Justice. Previously, he was an adjunct lecturer at the City University of New York’s Queensborough Community College.

Tyler partially based his Abbott Elementary character on Le'Roy

In 2023, Tyler shared with Vanity Fair that his performance as Gregory Eddie was based, in part, on his father.

“Yes, Gregory is an amalgamation of all the men in my life that set my standard for manhood — both of my grandfathers, my father, my brothers, my uncles,” he said.

The actor elaborated that he came from a family of “really dedicated, hardworking men,” who devoted themselves to raising the next generation.

“That level of sincerity and high stakes definitely lingers under everything Gregory does,” he said.

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