{"id":2046127,"date":"2025-09-24T11:10:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T11:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2046127"},"modified":"2025-09-24T11:10:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T11:10:10","slug":"dawsons-creek-reunion-sees-james-van-der-beek-make-surprise-appearance-amid-cancer-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/dawsons-creek-reunion-sees-james-van-der-beek-make-surprise-appearance-amid-cancer-battle\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Dawson\u2019s Creek&#8217; reunion sees James Van Der Beek make surprise appearance amid cancer battle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The cast of the hit TV show Dawson\u2019s Creek, which ran from 1998 to 2003, came together earlier this week for a reunion charity event in New York City. <\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The cast, including Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson, took the stage at the Richard Rodgers Theater on Monday evening to read the 1998 pilot episode. <\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The evening was to raise money for F Cancer and James Van Der Beek, who played Dawson in the show. Van Der Beek, 48, was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer last year, and was unable to attend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">However, he shared that he had an\u00a0understudy for the evening&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I DO have an understudy. A ridiculously overqualified replacement who would have been #1 on my wishlist (had I ever dreamed he\u2019d be available),&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;Someone my kids would definitely consider an upgrade over me\u2026 Plus, he already knows how to get to the theater. So that\u2019s convenient. The role of &#8216;Dawson,&#8217; usually played by James Van Der Beek, will be played by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Can\u2019t believe I just got to type that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Additionally, a visibly moved Van Der Beek did appear on screen via video message.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cI can\u2019t believe I don\u2019t get to hug my cast mates,\u201d he said. \u201cI 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&#8217;s doing anything and has been so generous, and especially every single last one of you \u2013 you are the best fans in the world.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span class=\"wdgt-image_capText\"> The Dawson&#8217;s Creek gang <\/span> <span class=\"wdgt-image_credit\"> &#8211; Columbia TriStar Television <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">During the event, Van Der Beek\u2019s wife Kimberly and the couple&#8217;s children joined the cast onstage to sing Paula Cole&#8217;s &#8216;I Don&#8217;t Want To Wait&#8217;, which served as the show&#8217;s theme song.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Another surprise during the event was when <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/2023\/02\/22\/berlinale-dispatches-inside-the-steven-spielberg-press-conference\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Steven Spielberg;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><strong>Steven Spielberg<\/strong><\/a> &#8211; Dawson\u2019s hero throughout the series &#8211; appeared on screen. Check out the director&#8217;s message below:<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Van Der Beek has undergone chemotherapy and has continued to engage publicly, advocating for cancer awareness and the importance of early detection. He has promoted new screening options and teamed up with Guardant Health to raise awareness about colorectal cancer screening for people under 50.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"James Van Der Beek - 2025\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"808\" height=\"454\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/m8kRS_Dqk_.7N2V5C8X.uw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTUzOTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/euronews_us_news_articles_566\/1c9ab3b4f936cb4b9809fbf752671bf2\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span class=\"wdgt-image_capText\"> James Van Der Beek &#8211; 2025 <\/span> <span class=\"wdgt-image_credit\"> &#8211; AP Photo &#8211; TikTok screengrab <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The video message during the reunion show has sparked concern after fans noticed that the actor appeared visibly thinner compared to earlier public appearances. <\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Messages of support flooded social media, with fans praising Van Der Beek\u2019s resilience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Elsewhere, Holmes and Jackson, who played Joey and Pacey respectively in Dawson\u2019s Creek, are currently working together on a new project, <em>Happy Hours<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2025\/07\/katie-holmes-to-star-in-direct-happy-hours-joshua-jackson-1236463920\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Deadline;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><strong>Deadline<\/strong><\/a>, the forthcoming trilogy is \u201ca story about two people (played by Holmes and Jackson) navigating their relationship within the challenges of careers and family responsibilities and the pursuit of love, despite life\u2019s inevitable obstacles. It\u2019s a character-driven dramedy that explores the emotional journey of young loves who reconnect as adults, with the connective thread of shared joys, loss, and hope.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Holmes is directing, writing and starring in the movie \u2013 and the reunion between the two has sparked rumours about a possible romantic rekindling. <\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Holmes and Jackson met in the 90s. They were an item and appeared close during the reunion evening. However, multiple sources\u00a0clarified that Homes and Jackson aren\u2019t back together and enjoy a longlasting and continuing friendship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Reflecting on the event, Holmes wrote on Instagram: \u201cI will never find the words for what these three beautiful humans mean to me. For our shared journey. For our everlasting bond. James, Josh, Michelle\u2026 from April 1997 &#8211; I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He added: \u201cJames, you got this. We got you. To everyone who supported us from the beginning and who continue to support James and his beautiful family, we thank you. Thank you for last night.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The cast of the hit TV show Dawson\u2019s Creek, which ran from 1998 to 2003, came together earlier this week for a reunion charity event in New York City. The cast, including Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson, took the stage at the Richard Rodgers Theater on Monday evening to read the 1998 pilot [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2046128,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[379275,326689,350582,338391,319955,348163,350581],"class_list":["post-2046127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-colorectal-cancer","tag-dawsons-creek","tag-james-van-der-beek","tag-joshua-jackson","tag-katie-holmes","tag-michelle-williams","tag-van-der-beek"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Dawsons-Creek-reunion-sees-James-Van-Der-Beek-make-surprise.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2046127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2046127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2046127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2046128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2046127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2046127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2046127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}