James Van Der Beek, 48, revealed in 2024 that he had been privately battling Stage 3 colorectal cancer. He returned to the Today Show this week to share an update on his health. He opened up about shocking fans with his gaunt appearance in September. Keep reading to find out more.

James Van Der Beek Calls Cancer ‘Best Thing’ That Happened To Him

James Van Der Beek was supposed to be on the Today Show earlier this month. He had to cancel after an illness. Craig Melvin traveled to the actor’s ranch in Spicewood, Texas, for an interview that aired on Friday, December 19.

The actor, who rose to fame in the 1998 teen drama Dawson’s Creek, opened up about how cancer completely changed his life. He said it was the “best thing” that ever happened to him.
James Van Der Beek/Credit: YouTube
James Van Der Beek looked back on getting diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer after a colonoscopy. “I went into shock. But you know, one of the things I was really lucky about was as soon as I heard the news, I thought, ‘This is gonna be the best thing to ever happen to me.’ … I had this little voice in my head that said, ‘You’re gonna make changes in your life that you would never, ever make if you didn’t have this extreme of a diagnosis, and it’s gonna add healthy, happy years to your life,’” he told Craig Melvin.

He previously told PEOPLE magazine that before his diagnosis, he thought cancer only affected the old and unhealthy. James Van Der Beek learned that wasn’t true in the worst way possible.

He Breaks Silence on ‘Gaunt’ Appearance

James Van Der Beek’s Dawson’s Creek co-star Michelle Williams organized a reunion in September to raise money for cancer research. Unfortunately, they had to do the script reading without him. He was too sick to appear in person.

However, his wife and six children attended in his place. He opened up to Craig Melvin about how much that meant to him. “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,” he said.

The actor added, “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.”

James Van Der Beek couldn’t be there in person but he made an appearance with a pre-recorded video message. But his message was lost as fans were completely shocked by his gaunt appearance. He explained on the Today Show that his skinny appearance actually wasn’t due to cancer.
James Van Der Beek looked gaunt at ‘Dawson’s Creek’ reunion/Credit: YouTube
He shared, “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?’ ”

James Van Der Beek gave a hopeful update about his cancer battle. “I feel a little bit better every month,” he said. He recently had to auction off memorabilia from Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues to raise money for treatment.

Presence, I think, is really the gift that cancer’s given me,” he said about his cancer journey.