When the cast of Dawson’s Creek reunited for the first time in 22 years on Monday, there was one person noticeably missing: James Van Der Beek.
The 48-year-old actor – who revealed he had been diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer in November 2024 – dropped out of the event just hours prior due to illness.
Now, a source close to the star has shared his devastation about having to cancel, explaining that he was really looking forward to the ‘change of pace’ amid his ongoing battle with the disease.
‘This reunion benefit was something that James was waiting for as it offered himself a change of pace and to be able to see so many people that he loved was going to be so special,’ the source said. ‘The fact that he was unable to do it was a major disappointment.’
Van Der Beek’s wife Kimberly and their six children attended the event in his honor, with two of the kids taking to the stage to sing the show’s iconic theme song, I Don’t Wanna Wait by Paula Cole.
‘It was a moment where his illness won briefly, but to see how the event made [fans, as well as] his family feel and to see his daughters sing was such an incredible moment,’ the source continued. ‘It gave him a lot of happiness.’
While the actor could not attend the Dawson’s Creek charity event in person, a prerecorded message from Van Der Beek played across the screen (seen), during which he displayed a noticeably frail figure
The 48-year-old actor – who revealed he had been diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer in November 2024 – dropped out of the event just hours prior due to illness
Van Der Beek’s wife Kimberly and their six children attended the event in his honor
The source added that while his prognosis ‘isn’t the greatest,’ Van Der Beek is ‘fighting’ and feels ‘hopeful’ that his cancer battle ‘is something he will actually win.’
And while there are certainly ‘bad days,’ the source said he always approaches everything with a ‘smile on his face.’
‘He would love nothing more than to have another one of these reunions where he is 100 percent healthy the next time they do it,’ the source continued. ‘He sees what he missed and doesn’t want to miss another one.’
While the star could not attend the charity event – which was held at the Richard Rogers Theatre in New York City – a prerecorded message was played on the screen.
But Van Der Beek’s virtual appearance sparked a wave of concern over his noticeably frail figure.
‘He’s taking it all step by step and though he looks frail, if he wasn’t doing better than expected, you wouldn’t have seen his family there,’ the source said.
‘This journey is going to take a while, but he is being positive and there is optimism that he will end up actually being OK.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Van Der Beek’s representative for comment.
Now, a source close to the star (seen in March) has revealed just how devastated he was about having to cancel, explaining that he was really looking forward to the ‘change of pace’
Hours before the event, Van Der Beek took to his Instagram Stories to share the news that he was no longer attending.
He said he was ‘gutted’ that ‘two stomach viruses’ had ‘knocked him out of commission and kept him grounded at the worst possible moment.’
‘Despite every effort… I won’t get to be there. 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,’ he wrote.
Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams joined forces for a live reading of the show’s pilot episode to benefit F Cancer. Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe, and Busy Philipps were also present.
‘I have been looking forward to this night for months and months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together,’ Van Der Beek – who played the character of Dawson Leery in the teen drama – shared in a video message.
‘I can’t believe I’m not there. I can’t believe I don’t get to see my cast mates, my beautiful cast in person.
‘And just I want to stand on that stage and thank every single person in the theater for being here tonight.
‘From the cast to the crew to everybody who’s doing anything and has been so generous, and especially every single last one of you – you are the best fans in the world.’
‘Thank you for coming. It’s just absolutely humbling just how much you did for this night, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you to every single person here,’ he said.
The source said that while his prognosis ‘isn’t the greatest,’ Van Der Beek (top left in Dawson’s Creek) is ‘fighting’ and feels ‘hopeful’ that his cancer battle ‘is something he will actually win’
And while there are certainly ‘bad days,’ the source said that the 48-year-old always approaches everything with a ‘smile on his face.’ He’s seen with his family in 2017
‘He’s taking it step by step and though he looks frail, if he wasn’t doing better than expected, you wouldn’t have seen his family there,’ the source said. The cast is seen at the reunion
‘And, obviously, on Dawson’s Creek, I had an understudy, but this is a problem… and, we figured trying to find somebody who had never understudied in this theater before.’
He then introduced his replacement for the evening, Lin Manuel Miranda, joking his children would consider him an ‘upgrade.’
Worried fans later expressed their heartache after seeing Van Der Beek’s video, with many noting that he did ‘not look well.’
In a thread on Reddit, one commented: ‘The poor man, he does not look well at all. He has got such a young family as well.’
Another said: ‘Omg I didn’t realize he’s lost that much weight from cancer, that’s scary.’
‘I’m not a particular fan but it makes me very sad to see him so frail and ill and so failed by our healthcare system,’ a third wrote. ‘F**k cancer. I wish him and his family the best.’
‘Seeing how frail he is really broke me this morning,’ added a fourth. ‘I thought he was getting better based on recent updates. I hope his treatment is working.’