James Van Der Beek makes surprise appearance 'Dawson's Creek' reunion amid cancer diagnosis
Dawson's Creek is taking us back to the '90s.
Two decades after the show's premiere, Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, and Joshua Jackson got together for a charity event in New York City. They were joined by castmates Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe, and Busy Philipps.
The group delighted fans with their long-awaited reunion at the Richard Rodgers Theater to read the 1998 pilot episode, which follows film addict Dawson as he meets a new neighbor named Jen while making an amateur movie with his friends.
@ebriba Thank you 🙏🏽 #Dawsonscreek #richardrogerstheatre #fcancer #reunion #incredible ♬ original sound - Erica R
According to Variety, the event was to raise money for the nonprofit organization F Cancer, as well as for cast member James Van Der Beek, who is battling colorectal cancer.
Van Der Beek was unable to attend the reunion to play as the titular character, Dawson, due to two different stomach viruses.
"This is the evening I’d been looking forward to MOST since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together, way back in January. So you can imagine how gutted I was when two stomach viruses conspired to knock me out of commission and keep me grounded at the worst possible moment," he wrote on Instagram.
"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 added.
However, the actor surprised fans when he gave a message through a pre-recorded video that was projected onstage.
"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," he said.
"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 added.
Because of his absence, singer-songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda stepped in for his role, and Van Der Beek joked that Miranda is someone his kids would "definitely consider an upgrade" over him.
In the end, the cast—including Van Der Beek's wife, Kimberly, and their kids—sang the show's theme song, I Don't Wanna Wait by Paula Cole.
Van Der Beek first opened up about his cancer diagnosis in 2024, sharing that he has been "privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family."
Even with cancer, he continued to work in film and TV series like Walker and Sidelined: The QB and Me. He is also prioritizing his time with his wife and their kids, Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, and Jeremiah.
Dawson's Creek ran for a total of six seasons from 1998 to 2003. It centers on the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college.