A janitor who waited four decades for his big break is finally telling the whole story, addiction and all.
William Stanford Davis, the actor who plays Mr. Johnson on ABC's Abbott Elementary, has signed a deal with BenBella Books to publish a memoir called Don't Mess With the Fat Kid. Variety broke the news on October 14, 2026, confirming the book will arrive in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook formats, though no release date has been set yet.
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William Stanford Davis Memoir Deal Takes Shape
The book deal came together through agent Miles Blim of Aevitas Creative Management, working alongside Innovative Artists, and was sold to BenBella editor and CEO Glen Yeffeth. That combination signals real industry weight behind the project, not just a quick celebrity cash-in. BenBella plans to release the William Stanford Davis memoir across three formats, giving readers and listeners different ways to experience his story.
According to the publisher's description shared with Variety, the memoir unfolds in three parts. It opens in the 1960s in The Ville, a predominantly Black neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, where Davis grew up. From there, it follows him into early adulthood after he moved to Jefferson City, Missouri, in the early 1970s. The final section covers his journey from addiction to working actor, tracing years of rejection before he landed his signature role.
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Decades Of Rejection Before The Breakthrough
Davis didn't stumble into acting as a kid with a dream and an easy path. ABC's official biography says his interest sparked after watching a performance by the Negro Ensemble Company during high school. He later worked in media, including a stint at a newspaper and as a radio personality in Texas, before he ever set foot in Los Angeles chasing an acting career.
That move to Los Angeles happened in 1984, when Davis was 33 years old, according to a 2024 Rolling Stone profile. He didn't land a lead role right away. Instead, he spent decades building a resume through supporting parts, recurring characters, and guest spots on shows like The Bold and the Beautiful, Ray, and Sister, Sister. He also played Coach Max on Apple TV+'s Swagger. By the time Abbott Elementary came calling, Davis already had more than 100 credits to his name, according to both ABC and IMDb.
CBC reported that Davis once auditioned for Friends and didn't get the part, a rejection that stung at the time but one he's since called a blessing in disguise. That kind of setback, repeated across a 40-year career, forms the emotional backbone the memoir appears built around, even though specific details about his addiction and recovery have not yet been made public.
From Custodian Role To Series Regular At 70
Davis auditioned for Mr. Johnson during the COVID-19 pandemic, self-taping his submission according to ABC. He won the role at around age 69 or 70, initially joining the show in a smaller capacity. Later reporting indicates that creator Quinta Brunson expanded the character, and Davis eventually became a full series regular, turning a quick-witted janitor with a habit of spouting conspiracy theories into one of the show's most beloved figures.
ABC describes Mr. Johnson as a character who is "beloved by fans and critics alike," and the show's biography notes that Davis received consecutive NAACP Image Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series during its third season. Oprah Daily spoke with Davis when he was 73, framing him as proof that success can arrive later in life and still mean just as much. He told the outlet, "I went to a school just like Abbott in the '50s and '60s," drawing a direct line between his own upbringing and the show that made him famous.
What The Memoir Means For Fans And The Industry
The William Stanford Davis memoir lands at an interesting moment for Hollywood storytelling. Audiences have grown increasingly drawn to stories about late bloomers, people who worked quietly for years before anyone noticed. Davis fits that mold almost perfectly, and BenBella's description leans into that theme directly, promising a book about "years of perseverance, rejection and hard-earned experience" that eventually led to his biggest role.
HuffPost's interview with Davis captured a similar sentiment, with the actor summing up his 40-year journey in a single word: blessed. That kind of framing, paired with the specific mention of addiction in the book's official description, suggests the memoir will go further than typical behind-the-scenes show business stories. It's positioned as both a career retrospective and a personal account of survival.
Release Timeline Still Unclear As Anticipation Builds
For now, the most concrete details are the title, the publisher, and the three planned formats. No price, page count, audiobook narrator, or publication date has been confirmed. BenBella has not released a cover image or excerpt, and no public statements have come from Yeffeth, Blim, Innovative Artists, Quinta Brunson, or ABC beyond the original acquisition news.
What's clear is that Davis spent close to 40 years working steadily before landing a series regular role at 70, a timeline that gives the memoir's title and themes real weight. Readers searching for when the book will hit shelves will need to wait for BenBella's next announcement, but the broad strokes of the story, St. Louis childhood, Missouri early adulthood, addiction, rejection, and a late-career breakthrough, are already locked in.
