James Van Der Beek Addressed Fan Concern Over His Appearance at 'Dawson's Creek' Reunion Just 2 Months Ago

Dawson’s Creek‘s James Van Der Beek addressed fan concern for his health just 2 months ago in December 2025.

His wife Kimberly announced today that he had passed away following a battle with cancer. He was 48.

If you don’t know, a live staged reading of the Dawson’s Creek‘s pilot episode was set up last year, with the original cast participating. The benefit show was organized to help James and F Cancer.

Originally, James was announced as part of the lineup, but later confirmed he’d be unable to come due to two stomach viruses. At the event, he recorded a video where fans grew concerned with how he appeared.

In an interview with the Today show which aired in December 2025, James addressed the reaction to the video.

Keep reading to find out more…

James said at the time, “I’d lost so much weight because of the stomach virus, yeah. No, it was not cancer related. Although with cancer everything’s like, ‘Why don’t we super size that stomach virus?’ ”

“As crushed as I was not being able to go to that Dawson’s Creek reunion, my family got to go. And I was Zooming in on that night and they got a standing ovation just for taking their seats. And all that love that would have otherwise been directed at me, was directed at my family. It was just one of the most beautiful moments I’ve ever gotten to witness. I’m just so grateful to the fans for doing that,” he added.

“Presence is really the gift that cancer has given me,” he shared. “Before cancer, I took all these little beautiful moments as part of a collection. I was just aware of everything. Now, I’m able much more to just settle into that exact moment.”

You can watch the videos that played at the reunion event here.

Our thoughts are with James‘ friends, family, and loved ones.