James Van Der Beek celebrated Halloween with his family this weekend and shared a sweet snap with his wife and kids for the spooky holiday.
The 48-year-old former Dawson’s Creek star is currently battling stage 3 colorectal cancer.
For his costume, the actor dressed as the Phantom of the Opera from the musical while his wife Kimberly was a mouse covered in spider webs.
They were joined in the snap by their six children – daughters, Olivia, 15, Annabel, 11, Emilia, 9, and Gwendolyn, 6, and sons, Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, 4.
‘Happy Halloween!!!!’ Kimberly captioned the family post as the kids dressed as a fox, the Statue of Liberty and other scary characters.
James revealed his diagnosis in November 2024.
James Van Der Beek celebrated Halloween with his family this weekend and shared a sweet snap with his wife and kids for the spooky holiday
He recently sparked concern among fans over his noticeably frail figure after appearing virtually at a Dawson’s Creek reunion.
He was initially due to appear in person but had to cancel due to ill health.
Back in November 2024, Van Der Beek spoke about his diagnosis and said he was feeling good.
‘Miracles do happen, and they happen all the time,’ he told People at the time.
‘It’s scary at the onset. It’s overwhelming. Go easy on yourself. You got this.’
He added: ‘I’ve really been so blessed with my wife and kids. I’ve got a lot to live for, and it’s a beautiful life.’
The cast of Dawson’s Creek recently reunited at New York’s Richard Rogers Theatre in collaboration with F Cancer for a live read through of their pilot episode.
But lead star James was forced to pull out of the event after falling ill during his treatment for colorectal cancer.
James’s wife Kimberly and their six children instead made a surprise appearance on stage, whilst the actor pre recorded videos to play during the show.
Kimberly shared photos with her husband’s co-stars Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps as she thanked them for their support on the night admitting: ‘Missed my guy so.
The 48-year-old former Dawson’s Creek star is currently battling stage 3 colorectal cancer (seen in May this year)
He recently sparked concern among fans over his noticeably frail figure after appearing virtually at a Dawson’s Creek reunion
‘But the support and the love has been healing to the core.’
Meanwhile, Katie, who played James’ love interest Joey Potter on the show, shared her own memories of the night as she paid tribute to her ‘everlasting bond’ with her co-stars.
‘I will never find the words for what these three beautiful humans mean to me,’ the actress wrote alongside a video of her, Michelle and Joshua Jackson on stage. ‘For our shared journey. For our everlasting bond.’
‘James, Josh, Michelle… from April 1997- I love you. James, 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.’
James replied to the post, commenting: ‘Love you! Thank you for being you.’
Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda was drafted in as a last minute replacement for James for the read through, after a call from his close friend Michelle and her husband Thomas Kail.
The Broadway icon shared his own collection of photos from the night, posing for snaps with James’ family as he gushed about ‘the immense privilege of being present,’ and revealed he had been sending James photos ‘all through rehearsal and the evening’.
‘[Thomas] Kail called over the weekend: James caught a virus and was unable to travel to NY for the Dawson’s Creek reunion Monday,’ Lin-Manuel explained.
‘Now I’m godfather to Tommy and Michelle’s kid, so filling in for Dawson last minute falls under general coverage.’
‘What happened next was for me, more like being in an episode of Quantum Leap; I had the immense privilege of being present as an understudy so that people’s love for James, his family, and this incredible cast and show could reverberate all around the Rodgers and the world.’
He previously starred as the leading character, Dawson Leery, for all six seasons from its debut in 1998 up until the finale in 2003; pictured from left to right in a 1997 portrait: Katie Holmes, James Van Der Beek, Michelle Williams and Joshua Jackson
