A day before a Dawson’s Creek reunion event meant to support him and the nonprofit F Cancer, James Van Der Beek announced Sunday night that he will not take part in the live reading of the pilot episode due to health issues. Stepping in for him will be Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Van Der Beek, who played Dawson Leery in the hit series and revealed last year that he had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, shared the news in an Instagram post.
“This is the night I’ve been looking forward to the most since my angel Michelle Williams said she was organizing it back in January… so you can imagine how disappointed I was when two stomach viruses conspired to ground me at the worst possible time,” he wrote.
“Despite all my effort, I won’t be able to make it,” he continued. “I won’t be able to stand on that stage and thank everyone in the theater who came for me — and against cancer — when I need it most.”
The rest of the beloved cast — including Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe and Busy Philipps — is expected to appear at the benefit. The live reading of the pilot will take place at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York, with Miranda reading Dawson’s part.
“I’ve got a ridiculously talented stand-in… someone my kids will see as an upgrade. Plus, he already knows how to get to the theater, so that’s convenient,” Van Der Beek joked. “Please enjoy all the love in that room. Shine some on my family. I’ll shine and receive it from afar, from my bed in Austin.”
Van Der Beek first disclosed his diagnosis in November 2024. “I have colorectal cancer,” he wrote then, adding that he was handling the diagnosis privately and undergoing treatment with the support of his family. “There’s reason for optimism, and I'm feeling good,” he told People magazine at the time.