Tyler James Williams Admits To “Lying” About His ‘Abbott Elementary’ Romantic Arc In Past Interviews

Abbott Elementary‘s Tyler James Williams has schooled fans and journalists alike in the art of kissing and not telling.

The hit ABC comedy in which Williams stars as Gregory Eddie aired its Season 3 finale last Wednesday (May 22), and — SPOILER — he and Quinta Brunson‘s Janine Teagues finally share a kiss. However, Williams had deceived fans during an April appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, during which he said, “I don’t necessarily want to see them together.”

In an interview with TVLine, the outlet pointed out how the actor had claimed to prioritize Janine and Gregory’s “platonic love” over a romantic relationship, citing the aforementioned interview. In response, Williams revealed that he, in fact, “was lying.”

“I knew what the finale was, and I was misleading,” he explained with a laugh. “I kept getting asked about what was happening with Janine and Gregory, and I’m like, ‘Uhhh, they should be friends.’ No, I’ve been waiting to get to this moment just as much as everybody else has.”

Citing the difficulty of keeping the kiss a secret “in a world full of spoilers,” he teased that he’s “one of those people who have a hard time hiding what’s on my face.” Nonetheless, he’s “actually really excited to explore where they’re headed, because for so long, it’s been kind of stop-start-y.”

Williams opened up to DECIDER about the kiss as well, highlighting that the magic moment “felt super right” and that they had “talked about that one scene for it feels like two weeks.”

When Decider’s Nicole Gallucci broached the subject of Williams’ coy comments and whether his feelings about Gregory and Janine’s relationship have “changed,” he said he “feel[s] like that’s the story we’ve been telling up until this point.”

“We keep giving them obstacles, which forces them to look at the other person in a non-romantic lens,” he elaborated, in part. “I think we’ve seen shifts in Gregory’s character as his jealousy arises, but at the end of the day, he has to still choose to work with Janine and support her as a partner first, before becoming a romantic partner.”

Fortunately, fans can see more of Janine and Gregory in Season 4, which was renewed by ABC back in February. However, in terms of what we can expect out of their relationship following the Abbott Elementary finale, Williams told Decider, “I think the biggest tease I can give you is this isn’t an answer.”

“This actually brings up more questions,” he added. “I think people initially are going to see it as an answer. But when you really sit down and think about it, we have to explore all of these questions. And this isn’t a definitive. The show doesn’t stop here. If anything, it feels like it just got started.”

Abbott Elementary is streaming on Hulu.