Everything the Late James Van Der Beek Said About His Cancer Journey
- - Everything the Late James Van Der Beek Said About His Cancer Journey
Caroline Blair, Christopher RudolphFebruary 11, 2026 at 11:00 PM
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James Van Der Beek
Michael Buckner/Deadline/Penske Media via Getty
James Van Der Beek revealed his stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis in November 2024
In September 2025, Van Der Beek dropped out of a Dawson's Creek reunion charity event, citing health struggles
Van Der Beek died at age 48 on Feb. 11
James Van Der Beek died on Feb. 11 at age 48, more than a year after he announced he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
In November 2024, the late Dawson's Creek actor opened up about his health, telling PEOPLE that he felt optimistic despite the news.
"I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” he said at the time. “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good."
Afterward, Van Der Beek continued acting while also prioritizing his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, and their six children. The following summer, in July 2025, Van Der Beek told Today that he felt "great" even though there were "many ups and downs and so many unknowns."
However, in September 2025, the actor announced that he would not be in attendance at a Dawson's Creek reunion charity event, citing health struggles. In an Instagram post, Van Der Beek wrote that he was "gutted" after developing two different stomach viruses.
He continued connecting with his fans on social media in the weeks before his death.
Here's everything to know about James Van Der Beek's cancer journey and what the late actor said about his health.
James Van Der Beek announced his cancer diagnosis in November 2024
James Van Der Beek attends the premiere of "Sidelined: The QB And Me" on November 14, 2024 in West Hollywood, California.
Michael Tullberg/Getty
Van Der Beek told PEOPLE on Nov. 3, 2024, that he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer at age 46.
"I’d always associated cancer with age and with unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles. But I was in amazing cardiovascular shape. I tried to eat healthy — or as far as I knew it at the time," he told PEOPLE at the time.
The Varsity Blues actor explained that he started experiencing bowel movement symptoms in the summer of 2023 but initially assumed that he just needed to change his diet.
“I thought maybe I needed to stop coffee,” he recalled. “Or maybe not put cream in the coffee. But when I cut that out and it didn’t improve, I thought, ‘All right, I better get this checked out.’ "
Van Der Beek subsequently got a colonoscopy and was feeling "really good" after the procedure, so he was shocked when the doctor told him they had found cancer.
"Then the gastroenterologist said — in his most pleasant bedside manner — that it was cancer. I think I went into shock," he recalled.
Van Der Beek admitted that the "trickiest thing" he had to process with his cancer diagnosis is that "there are so many unknowns."
"You think, ‘How do I fix this? Is this healing me? Is this hurting me? Is this working? Is it coming back?’ As someone who likes answers, not knowing is one of the hardest things," he shared.
Despite the challenges, Van Der Beek told PEOPLE that he was feeling "very cautiously optimistic" and that he hoped to use his platform to advocate for and help others.
"I’m in a place of healing, my energy levels are great. When I’ve been out of the woods completely for what feels like a responsible amount of time, I’ll circle back and let you know. I have a lot to live for," Van Der Beek continued.
He added, "I've been dealing with this pretty much in secret for a while, and in the past, I've found it helpful and cathartic to share things publicly. And I've found a lot of support that way. But more than that, I really wanted to raise awareness."
He had undergone various treatments
James Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek.
James Van Der Beek/Instagram
When Van Der Beek shared his diagnosis, he explained to PEOPLE that he didn't want to dive into his specific treatment details or medical regimen. However, colorectal cancer is typically treated by chemotherapy, radiation and other surgeries.
"If you’ve heard about it, I’ve probably touched on it," he said. "This has been a crash course in the mastery of mind, body, and spirit. I thought, ‘This is either going to take me out of the body, or it’s going to teach me how to truly live in it.' "
Van Der Beek shared the “honest” way he told his six kids about his cancer diagnosis
James Van Der Beek poses for a photo with his family.
James Van Der Beek/Instagram
While many know Van Der Beek as an award-winning actor, he was also a husband and father to six children. Van Der Beek and Kimberly, who married in 2010, shared six children: daughters Olivia, Annabel, Emilia and Gwendolyn, and sons Joshua and Jeremiah.
Eight months after announcing his cancer diagnosis, Van Der Beek recalled how he told his six children about his health.
“I’m far from an expert, but our approach was just to be as honest as possible, as honest to the degree of their understanding, right? Because they know," Van Der Beek told Today. "[They] can sense that Dad’s having a tough day. They know if Dad’s in pain. They know, and so by not telling them, I think you’re confusing them even more."
Van Der Beek also advised other parents in a similar situation to allow their children to help them and be open about their own feelings.
"When you tell them what you’re doing, and you tell them the approach, they can see it and they can feel it, and I think it’s also your journey is their journey," he said. "I have kids making me tea. 'Dad, what do you need?' "
The Pose actor reflected on how cancer changed his perspective on parenting and shared how his diagnosis inspired him to spread the message that both he and his children are "worthy of love," regardless of what they can or cannot do.
"They're worthy of love just for being them," he said on a March 2025 episode of the Whine Down with Jana Kramer podcast.
In addition to being a doting father, Van Der Beek thanked his children for their love and support. The family of eight celebrated Thanksgiving 2024 together, and he shared a photo of their festivities on Instagram while writing about how "grateful" he was for his family.
"And I’m more grateful than ever to my super human wife who has shown up on levels I never knew possible. Who has shown me what unconditional love is and the magic that comes from that. I am in awe of you, @vanderkimberly," he captioned the post. "And of course, I’m beyond thankful the little blond army of hearts who keep me present, active, and inspired just by being you. I love you guys beyond."
On his 48th birthday in March 2025, Van Der Beek reflected on the “hardest year of my life”
James Van Der Beek at the FOX Winter Press Day on November 18, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
JC Olivera/Variety via Getty
Van Der Beek celebrated his 48th birthday on March 8, 2025, and shared an Instagram video titled "What cancer taught me." In the selfie clip, he candidly told his fans that the last year "has been the hardest year of my life."
He explained that he especially struggled with being forced to "look my own mortality in the eye" and being unable to provide for or support his children or wife during his treatments.
"I had to come nose to nose with death, and all those definitions that I cared so deeply about were stripped from me," he said, referring to previously defining himself as an actor, husband, father and provider. "I could no longer be a husband who was helpful to my wife. I could no longer be a father who could pick up his kids and put them to bed and be there for them. I could not be a provider because I wasn't working."
However, Van Der Beek also had to come to the realization that he was still "worthy of God's love, simply because I exist."
Van Der Beek credited The Masked Singer for helping him momentarily forget about his health
James Van Der Beek celebrates his 46th birthday with his six children.
James Van Der Beek/Instagram
While Van Der Beek prioritized his health and cancer treatments after his 2024 diagnosis, he also prioritized his mental health by having some distractions along the way.
In March 2025, Van Der Beek was revealed to be the character Griffin on season 13 of The Masked Singer. After his kids and wife joined him onstage, Van Der Beek spoke to PEOPLE about why he chose to compete on the celebrity singing show.
"I had not sung in public in a very, very long time," he said at the time. "It was something that I used to do when I was younger, but it was also something I didn't have a ton of confidence in."
He remembered getting his start in musical theater as a kid and auditioning for theater roles when he was in high school, but he didn't score any major roles. In addition to doing the show for himself, Van Der Beek wanted to show his kids his skills.
"They were very excited," he said on the Whine Down with Jana Kramer podcast. "So, I shared with them how nervous I was. I shared with them my fears. Am I gonna lose my voice? Am I gonna sing well enough? I wanted them to watch me try something that, I was a little bit nervous about trying. So, it was really cool to see their reaction to it."
Van Der Beek also explained to PEOPLE that he was able to continue treatments for his cancer while enjoying the "great escape" from the diagnosis.
"I felt pretty good," he said about balancing the two. "There were some things we had to look out for, and I told my dressers. But what was cool is, the audience didn't know. So as much as I was dealing with whatever I was dealing with in my trailer and with the world, it was this great escape to be able to put on this mask and just connect with that audience and not have cancer be a part of it at all."
Van Der Beek returned to acting in the Legally Blonde show, Elle
James Van Der Beek on "The View".
ABC/Lou Rocco
Although Van Der Beek prioritized his health and his family, he returned to acting amid his cancer journey.
In May 2025, Van Der Beek announced that he had officially been cast as a recurring guest star in the upcoming Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle. He shared the "exciting" news by posting a screenshot of a Deadline article that announced he had been cast as Dean Wilson, “the city’s new Mayoral candidate and current school district superintendent.”
"So, this is exciting… I’m going back to work for a bit. Super excited to join this awesome cast in such a fun project. Almost as excited as my wife and girls are that I’m doing this 😍," he captioned the post on May 15.
Reese Witherspoon, who played Elle Woods in the hit 2001 film and is executive producing the spinoff, commented under the post, "YES!! Best news ever ! Welcome to our show 💖."
After he began working on the show, Van Der Beek spoke to Today about balancing working and his health.
"The greatest thing about work is cancer doesn't exist between action and cut," he shared. "It was fun to drop in and just have a blast because it's such a great cast, a great production, and everybody out there is really talented."
In addition to his role in Elle, Van Der Beek acted in the sequel to the Tubi original movie Sidelined: The QB and Me, called Sidelined 2: Intercepted. He once again played Drayton Lahey's (Noah Beck) father, Leroy Lahey.
Van Der Beek died in February 2026, over a year after revealing his diagnosisJames Van Der Beek at the FOX Winter Press Day on November 18, 2024 in Los Angeles, California
JC Olivera/Variety via Getty
Van Der Beek died at the age of 48 on the morning of Feb. 11.
Shortly after, his wife Kimberly announced the news on Instagram via a joint post.
"Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace," she wrote. "There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come."
Kimberly continued, "For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
