Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek has given a candid interview about his cancer diagnosis. And how his six kids are coping with it.
“They know if Dad’s in pain. They know, and so by not telling them, I think you’re confusing them even more,” he said to TODAY. He continued that they “can sense Dad’s having a tough day.”
The actor has announced that he is missing a Dawson’s Creek reunion show in New York, being organised by Michelle Williams, due to two stomach viruses related to his cancer.
However, theatre fans should rejoice, as the role of Dawson will go to James’ understudy, the award-winning songwriter, actor, singer, and filmmaker, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
“Despite every effort… I won’t get to be there,” he shared in a post on Instagram. “I won’t get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most.”
While James couldn’t attend the reunion in person, he appear virtually. James shared a pre-recorded video where he thanked fans for their love and joked that his replacement Lin was an upgrade his children supported.
When did James Van Der Beek receive a cancer diagnosis?
In August 2023, at age 46, James Van Der Beek was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer. He underwent a colonoscopy prompted by changes in his bowel habits — a common early sign he initially dismissed as diet-related.
He publicly disclosed the diagnosis in November 2024.
Speaking on TODAY, James described his cancer experience as a “full‑time job”, sharing how he’s adapted his lifestyle and reflecting that cancer might remain a long-term process.
Does James have any children?
Yes, James and his wife Kimberley are parents to six children: daughters Olivia, Annabel, Emilia, and Gwendolyn and sons Joshua and Jeremiah, who they welcomed in 2021 following earlier late-term pregnancy losses.
James and Kimberley chose to tell their children about his diagnosis in an open, age-appropriate way. He explained that children sense emotional shifts, so honesty helped them understand what was happening.
Does James Van Der Beek still work?
Yes, he does. He took a step back to focus on family and healing, and in 2025 appeared in the US version of The Masked Singer. Furthermore, in May 2025, he accepted a role as Dean Wilson in Elle, a Legally Blonde prequel series produced by Reese Witherspoon.
However, the work he is most known for is as Dawson Leery on Dawson’s Creek from 1998 to 2003 alongside Michelle Williams, Joshua Jackson, and Katie Holmes.
Another noteworthy role on his roster includes Jonathan “Mox” Moxon in Varsity Blues (1999). Mox is a backup quarterback who challenges the toxic pressure of high school football culture in small-town Texas. It cemented his transition to film and became a cult hit.
And his performance as a fictional, exaggerated version of himself — vain, fame-obsessed, and hilariously self-aware — in US sitcom Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 (2012–2013) earned him critical acclaim for his comedic timing and willingness to poke fun at his own legacy.
