James Van Der Beek Shares Heartbreaking Update on His Cancer Battle

James Van Der Beek, the actor who’ll forever be Dawson Leery to so many of us, has opened up again about his fight with colorectal cancer, and honestly, it’s tough to read without getting a lump in your throat.

He was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer back in 2023. Like a lot of people, he first noticed something wasn’t right with his bowel habits. At first he just blamed his morning coffee.

“I thought maybe I needed to cut out the cream or quit coffee altogether,” he told People. When that didn’t help, he finally decided to get checked out.

He actually felt relieved after the colonoscopy—until the doctor delivered the news while he was still coming out of anesthesia. “It is cancer,” the gastroenterologist said, as gently as he could.

Since then, James has been incredibly honest about how hard this has been—not just physically, but on his family too. There have been long stretches where he’s been away for treatment and couldn’t be the husband or dad he wanted to be.

“I couldn’t pick up my kids, couldn’t put them to bed, couldn’t really provide because I wasn’t working,” he shared on Instagram. The guilt clearly weighs on him.

One of the few places he says cancer disappears for a little while is on set. “Between ‘action’ and ‘cut,’ it doesn’t exist,” he said. Acting has become his escape.

Recently, things have gotten even heavier. His kids have started helping take care of him, which he says breaks his heart. And he had to miss the big Dawson’s Creek cast reunion because of treatment. He posted the sweetest video message, tearing up because he couldn’t be there in person to hug everyone.

He looked noticeably thinner and fragile in the clip, and fans immediately flooded the comments with worry and love. “Praying so hard for you, James.” “You look so frail—it hurts to see.” “Please keep fighting, your family needs you.”

Through everything, his faith has been a huge anchor. He’s talked about realizing he’s worthy of love—God’s love, his own love—just for being here. It’s the kind of thing that hits you right in the chest.

To help cover the mountain of medical bills, he’s partnered with Propstore for a special auction running December 5–7, 2025. Some of the items are pure 90s nostalgia: the necklace Dawson gave Joey at prom (estimated $26,000–$53,000) and the exact flannel shirt/outfit from the pilot episode.

“I’ve been holding onto these for years,” he said. “Life threw some unexpected curves lately, and it just feels like the right time to let them go to people who love the show as much as I do.”

It’s not the first time he’s sold memorabilia to keep his family afloat during this fight, but every time he does it, you can tell it means something that fans are willing to step up.

We’re all just rooting so hard for him. Keep going, James. The world’s still not ready to say goodbye to Dawson Leery—or to you. ❤️