James Van Der Beek opened up about the overwhelming response he received following his dramatic weight loss during the Dawson's Creek reunion in September. The actor appeared on the December 19 episode of the TODAY Show for a sit-down interview with Craig Melvin to discuss his colorectal cancer diagnosis.
In November 2024, James revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer and had been dealing with the diagnosis privately. At the time, he thanked his "incredible family,” for their support and insisted there was reason to be optimistic and that he was "feeling good."
The TODAY interview took place at the actor's ranch in Texas. James recalled how he was unable to attend the Dawson's Creek event after coming down with a stomach virus, but he appeared via video with a pre-recorded message to fans.
© NBCCraig said that when the video was aired, "a lot of folks were worried."
"I'd lost so much weight because of the stomach virus, yeah," James explained. "No, it was not cancer related. Although with cancer everything’s like, 'Why don’t we super size that stomach virus?'"
James's wife, Kimberly, and their six children, Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah, attended the event in his place. "As crushed as I was not being able to go to that Dawson's Creek reunion, my family got to go. And I was Zooming in on that night and they got a standing ovation just for taking their seats," he said. "And all that love that would have otherwise been directed at me, was directed at my family. 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."
Elsewhere in the interview, James described himself as "really fortunate in an unfortunate diagnosis". "It's been a longer journey than I ever thought it would be. It's required more of me – more patience, more discipline, more strength than I knew I had. I knew I was strong. I didn't know I was this strong. But I feel good," he told Craig.
© InstagramThe actor said he's still undergoing cancer treatment, "trying a bunch of stuff", though he wasn't specific about the therapies he's received. Despite his health struggles, James was looking healthy and happy during the chat. The actor was dressed in a brown knitted sweater featuring a festive orange-and-red pattern and a buttoned-up design. He layered the cosy knit over a simple white T-shirt and paired it with khaki trousers.
Meanwhile, Craig wore a purple quarter-zip sweater styled with dark-wash denim jeans. Craig is no stranger to the harsh disease. The NBC star's older brother Lawrence passed away at the young age of 43 in 2020, due to his battle with colorectal cancer. He had been suffering from abdominal pain and weight loss, when he got diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.
The host and his wife Lindsay Czarniak host the annual charity event, The Bottoms Up Invitational, at Connecticut's Shorehaven Golf Club, where they invite all their friends and colleagues to help raise awareness for the disease and funds, which will be donated to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.
Craig spoke to us about the love and support he's gotten over the years. "You know, it's funny because I just realized a lot of the folks who come have been there every year. It really is a motley crew. Sometimes I look around on that Sunday and Monday and I'm like, 'God, I really know the eclectic group of people,'" he shared.
James' diagnosis
James explained that he began experiencing bowel movement symptoms in the summer of 2023. "I thought maybe I needed to stop coffee," he recalled. "Or maybe not put cream in the coffee. But when I cut that out and it didn’t improve, I thought, 'All right, I better get this checked out.'"
The actor went for a colonoscopy and admitted he wasn't worried about the results but was soon faced with the shocking truth that he has cancer. "I felt really good coming out of anesthesia, that I'd finally done it," he explained. "Then the gastroenterologist said – in his most pleasant bedside manner – that it was cancer. I think I went into shock," he shared.
