James Van Der Beek was in good spirits while posing for photos alongside Today show anchor Craig Melvin.
On Wednesday, December 17, Melvin, 46, shared snapshots of him and Van Der Beek, 48, whom he visited in Texas and interviewed that day. The Dawson’s Creek alum, who’s battling cancer, smiled while sporting a cozy cardigan sweater.
“Spent the day in TX on James Van Der Beek’s ranch (@vanderjames),” the journalist wrote in a caption. “Overcast and dreary outside but James is quite the ray of positivity these days. It was refreshing and inspiring. We talked about where he is on his journey, the importance of cancer screenings, and how he’s finding joy in family and faith. Our convo coming up Friday am on @todayshow.”
Earlier this month, Van Der Beek was forced to miss a planned appearance on Today, and had a very good excuse.
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“Tell me you have kids without telling me you have kids: Having to postpone a @today show appearance because of pink eye,” he revealed via his Instagram Story on December 5, sharing a selfie with one of his daughters.
He apologized to Melvin at the time and added, “Pink eye(s) almost cleared up. See you Dec 17.”
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The actor and his wife Kimberly share six kids: Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 11, Emilia, 9, Gwendolyn, 7, and Jeremiah, 4.
Van Der Beek announced in November 2024 that he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
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“I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” he told People at the time, noting, “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.”
He said that his kids “have been so supportive” during his illness, and “you hate to watch them have to grow up in that way but you watch them really put you first, which, as a father, is, like, heartwarming and also devastating.”
Back in September, Van Der Beek’s health prevented him from attending a highly anticipated Dawson’s Creek reunion in New York City along with former costars Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams.
“This is the evening I’d been looking forward to MOST since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together, way back in January…” he wrote via Instagram, the day before the event, which raised money for the nonprofit F Cancer.
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“So you can imagine how gutted I was when two stomach viruses conspired to knock me out of commission and keep me grounded at the worst possible moment,” he continued. “Despite every effort… I won’t get to be there. I won’t get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most.”