Tyler James Williams Reveals He Nearly Died From Previously Undiagnosed Crohn’s Disease

Tyler James Williams of Abbott Elementary recently revealed that he nearly died five years ago from complications related to previously undiagnosed Crohn’s disease.

The actor, now 30, recalled the traumatic experience to men’s healthwhich included emergency surgery to remove part of his lower intestine and months spent living in intravenous feedings with an ostomy bag.

At its weakest, the star weighed just 105 pounds and could barely stand on its own.

Williams’ health problems came to a head after ‘pushing [his] body on the edge’ through intense dieting and exercise while juggling a hectic shooting schedule.

Tyler James Williams of Abbott Elementary (left in 2023) recently revealed that he nearly died five years ago (right in 2017) from complications related to previously undiagnosed Crohn’s disease. The actor, now 30, recalled the traumatic experience to Men’s Health, which included emergency surgery to remove part of his lower intestine and months he spent living on intravenous feedings with an ostomy bag. At its weakest, the star weighed just 105 pounds and could barely stand on its own; seen in 2017

By the end of 2017, he was successfully able to get his weight up to 130 pounds, but months of force-feeding with protein shakes and heavy lifting took their toll.

“I was really pushing my body to the limit,” Williams recalled. ‘By the time December came around, it just crashed. All closed.

Williams was experiencing debilitating stomach pains and could barely keep food down, including the magnesium citrate needed to perform a colonoscopy.

This led the actor to seek the help of a gastroenterologist at NYU Langone, who used X-rays to discover the root of his ailments.

The gastroenterologist found that Williams had ‘less than a centimeter of space in his terminal ileum’. [the narrowest portion of the gut]’ because his intestines were very inflamed and clogged with scar tissue.

Williams’ health problems came to a head after ‘pushing [his] body on the edge’ through intense dieting and exercise while juggling a hectic shooting schedule; seen on january 10

He classified it as a massive outbreak of Crohn’s disease, which caught Williams by surprise since he had never been diagnosed with the chronic disease before.

Crohn’s disease is “a chronic disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract,” according to MedlinePlus.

It can affect any part of your digestive tract, although it most commonly affects the “small intestine and the beginning of your large intestine.”

Weight loss, reduced appetite, abdominal pain and cramps that can range from mild to severe, and constipation that could lead to a bowel obstruction are some of the common symptoms of Crohn’s disease.

“I was really pushing my body to the limit,” Williams recalled. ‘By the time December came around, it just crashed. Everything went off’; seen in 2017 just before its outbreak

If left untreated, the condition can be life-threatening. Although the official cause is unknown, it has been hypothesized that the disorder could be an autoimmune reaction.

There is also a genetic component that was identified in Williams’ family, but, at the time, the star was the only member showing symptoms. In 2020, his brother Tyrel would experience a less severe outbreak.

With a diagnosis in hand, Williams was taken into surgery to have six inches of his lower intestine removed.

But with so much damage to his intestines, they couldn’t heal and eventually ruptured.

Previously undiagnosed: A gastroenterologist classified it as a mass flare of Crohn’s disease, which caught Williams by surprise, as he had never been diagnosed with the chronic condition before; seen on january 15

This led to Williams becoming septic, which resulted in another emergency surgery. For months, the actor had to have an ostomy bag and relied on intravenous food to stay nourished.

Although his dramatic weight loss was shocking, Williams said it was the feeling of “vibration” throughout his body while he was septic that made him fear for his life.

‘The last thought I had was Holy crap, this could be it. If this is it, I’m not happy. I worked a lot. I did a lot of things,’ she recalled. ‘I didn’t enjoy any of this. This can not be.

Now, some five years later, Williams is the picture of fitness at a brawny 145 pounds. She has given up alcohol, coffee, and red meat to avoid outbreaks.

Along with a healthy diet, Williams’ doctor recommended another means to reduce inflammation and stimulate appetite.

Healthy: Now, some five years later, Williams is the picture of healthy at a brawny 145 pounds. She has given up alcohol, coffee and red meat to avoid outbreaks; seen in 2020

“The doctor said, ‘Here’s something that will keep your system from getting inflamed. It will keep your mind in order and make you eat.’ And I was like, “What is this wonder drug we’re talking about?” And he wrote me a prescription for weed,’ he explained to the outlet.

Instead of overworking himself in the gym, Williams now relies on consistent fitness that includes circuit training, among other effective means. Meditation has also been incorporated into Williams’ daily routine.

The life-threatening experience led Williams to re-evaluate her career and she decided to focus on ‘purpose-driven’ roles in the future.

‘When I woke up and finally came back to [being] myself, I was like, “what would I do that didn’t suck?” Williams said.

‘Driven By Purpose’: The life-threatening experience led Williams to re-evaluate her career and she decided to focus on ‘purpose-driven’ roles in the future.

Role of a lifetime: Following through on his goal, Williams landed the role of first grade teacher, Gregory Eddie, on ABC’s hit mockumentary series Abbott Elementary (pictured)

Following through on his goal, Williams landed the role of first grade teacher, Gregory Eddie, on ABC’s hit mockumentary series Abbott Elementary.

His performance earned him the Golden Globe for ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Television Series – Drama or Musical-Comedy’ at this year’s star-studded ceremony.

Williams sees parallels between himself and his character, who also “wants to be in this position of power because he feels like that’s what he needs to be successful, but then he finds out that’s not his life.”

“I was like, ‘That sounds like the same trip I had to come on.'”

Winner: His performance earned him the Golden Globe for ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Television Series – Drama or Musical-Comedy’ at this year’s star-studded ceremony; seen on january 10