James Van Der Beek breaks silence on 'Dawson's Creek' reunion

James Van Der Beek finally opened up about his absence from Dawson's Creek reunion as he battles with cancer.

The Varsity Blues actor who was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in November 2024 is currently undergoing treatment for it.

The actor revealed in a sit‑down interview with Today that he was unable to attend the reunion in person not because of cancer.

He shared that he was actually 'hit with some stomach bugs.'

Instead, he joined via Zoom.

"As crushed as I was not being able to go to that ‘Dawson's Creek' reunion, my family got to go," Van Der Beek recalled the moment.

"And I was zooming in on that night and they got a standing ovation just for taking their seats. And all that love that would have otherwise been directed at me, was directed at my family."

He got overwhelmed as he shared with the show's host, "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."

Fans previously expressed concern over his noticeably slimmer appearance on Zoom.

Van Der Beek clarified that his weight loss was due to the stomach virus, not directly related to his cancer.

He assured viewers: “I feel much, much better than I did a couple months ago.”

The reunion included a table read of the pilot episode, and raised money for F Cancer as well as Van Der Beek’s own treatment.

Stars like Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and Mary Beth Peil attended, while Lin‑Manuel Miranda stepped in to read Van Der Beek’s lines.