“Dawson’s Creek” star James Van Der Beek has shared a positive health update, just over four months after revealing he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
Van Der Beek, who announced his health battle back in November 2024, told the show’s host, Billy Bush, that he is preparing to film a sequel to the 2024 film “Sidelined: The QB and Me,” starring Noah Beck and Siena Agudong.
According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer develops in the large intestine, specifically the colon or rectum. Similar to other cancers, the disease ranges on a scale between 0 and 4, with stage 3 indicating that cancer cells have spread to one or more nearby lymph nodes, the City of Hope Cancer Center reports.
Earlier this month, Van Der Beek—who shares six children with his wife of almost 15 years, Kimberly—took to Instagram to discuss the profound impact his cancer journey has had on his life.Van Der Beek said that when he was younger, his self-identity was largely centered on his acting career. However, his work never truly fulfilled him.
“And then I became a husband, and that was much better,” he added, noting that becoming a father “was the ultimate” achievement.
“I could define myself then as a loving, capable, strong, supportive, husband, father, provider, steward on the land that we’re so lucky to live on,” Van Der Beek said.
“And then this year, I had to look my own mortality in the eye. I had to come nose to nose with death, and all of those definitions that I cared so deeply about were stripped from me.”
Due to his cancer treatment, Van Der Beek said he was unable to be a helpful husband, father, and provider. “I was faced with the question: If I am just a too skinny, weak guy alone in an apartment with cancer—what am I?” he said.
“And I meditated, and the answer came through. I am worthy of God’s love simply because I exist. And if I’m worthy of God’s love shouldn’t I be worthy of my own? And the same is true for you.”
The actor married Kimberly Brook in August 2010. They went on to welcome daughters Olivia, 14; Annabel, 11; Emilia, 8; and Gwendolyn, 6; and sons Joshua, 13; and Jeremiah, 3. In 2020, the couple relocated their family from Los Angeles, California, to Austin, Texas, to have a better connection with nature and more space for their six children.
Van Der Beek began acting in the early 1990s, landing roles on “Clarissa Explains It All,” “As the World Turns,” and “Aliens in the Family,” among other shows.
In 1998, he was cast in the titular role on the drama series “Dawson’s Creek,” playing the character Dawson Leery for six seasons until the show’s conclusion in 2003.
Some of his film credits include “Varsity Blues” (1999), “Scary Movie” (2000), “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” (2001), “The Rules of Attraction” (2002), and “Sea Oak” (2017).
More recently, Van Der Beek performed on Fox’s reality singing competition series “The Masked Singer.” The show features a variety of celebrities competing in elaborate costumes as a panel of judges and the audience attempt to guess their identities.
Speaking with Extra, the actor said his children were able to watch him perform and even joined him on stage.
“To be able to do anything and have your kids think it’s cool at the ages that they are—I’m counting the days, and I’m counting the blessings of them still thinking I’m cool, so, yeah, it was so heartwarming,” he shared.
Van Der Beek said he enjoyed performing incognito on the show.
“With everything I was going through—and I just announced the health issues I was dealing with—so to be able to put on the mask and connect with an audience without that being a part of the equation was actually a really beautiful thing.”
