James Van Der Beek received a ton of heartfelt messages from fans despite his absence at the highly anticipated Dawson’s Creek reunion in New York City.
On Monday, the beloved cast members reunited to commemorate the show’s legacy, almost 27 years after its debut.
Among the stars who came together for a memorable event are Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, John Wesley Shipp, Mary Beth Peil, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe, Mary-Margaret Humes and Busy Philipps.
The cast took the audience on a trip down memory lane as they hit the stage at Richard Rogers Theatre to perform a live reading of the 1998 pilot episode.
With the 90s heartthrob absent, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton,stepped in to fill his role at the table read.
While fans were aware that Van Der Beek couldn’t be at the reunion due to health concerns, he still delighted them with a surprise recorded message.
In a brief yet emotional message, the 48-year-old star expressed his disappointment at missing the special event, but he also extended his deep gratitude to his fellow cast members and the fans who took the time to attend.
“I can’t believe I don’t get to hug my cast mates, my beautiful cast in person,” he said in the video, adding, “I wanted to stand on that stage and thank every single person in this theater for being here tonight. From the cast, the crew, to everybody, especially to every single last one of you. You are the best fans in the world.”
Following the actor’s message, fans flooded social media with messages wishing him a speedy recovery.
“I’m not crying, you’re crying… but wow, does it warm my millennial soul. Praying for James and I can’t say enough how much I love this show and this cast,” a user commented on Entertainment Tonight‘s post featuring the Dawson’s Creek reunion.
“OMG I’m praying for James…..Tearing my goodness. Dawson’s Creek was an awesome show of my life,” one follower said.
A fan echoed the same sentiment, noting, “It breaks my heart seeing James. I send him all my love and good vibes!”
“Ugh, this made me cry. I pray that James pulls through this, please,” one added.
“Praying for his healing,” a fifth user chimed in.
“OMG I love Dawson’s Creek!! So much love and healing to James. So bloody challenging for him right now. So lovely to see almost everyone together again and James’ message,” another commented.
In November 2024, the Rules of Attraction star opened up about his health, sharing that he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
According to him, the diagnosis happened in 2023 after noticing changes in his bowel movements.
The experience taught him to make multiple lifestyle changes, particularly to his diet and exercise routine.
“I’m just on the journey,” he told Today.com. “It’s a process. It’ll probably be a process for the rest of my life.”
Related: Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson Spark Wave of Nostalgia Before Release of New Movie
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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