James Van Der Beek Makes Surprise Appearance at Dawson’s Creek Reunion After Canceling Due to Illness

James Van Der Beek made a surprise virtual appearance at a Dawson’s Creek reunion charity event on Monday, Sept. 22, after initially having to withdraw due to illness.

Although the 48-year-old actor couldn’t attend in person at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City, he appeared via a pre-recorded video projected onstage. In the video, Van Der Beek expressed his gratitude to fans for buying tickets and introduced Lin-Manuel Miranda as his understudy.

“I have been looking forward to this night for months and months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together,” Van Der Beek said. “I can’t believe I’m not there. I can’t believe I don’t get to see my cast mates, my beautiful cast in person.”

He added, “I just want to stand on that stage and thank every single person in the theater for being here tonight. From the cast to the crew to everybody who’s doing anything and has been so generous, and especially every single last one of you – you are the best fans in the world.”

“Thank you for coming. It’s just absolutely humbling just how much you did for this night, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you to every single person here,” he continued. “And, obviously, on Dawson’s Creek, I had no understudy, but this is Broadway, and I needed one. So we figured we’d try to find somebody who had never understudied in this theater before.”

Van Der Beek then introduced Miranda, joking that his kids “would consider an upgrade.”

In an Instagram post shared the day before the one-night-only charity event, Van Der Beek wrote that he was “gutted” after developing two stomach viruses but reassured fans that he would have an “understudy,” confirming it would be Miranda, 45.

Van Der Beek’s wife, Kimberly, shared that she still planned to attend with their children. “Was important to him we come!!” she wrote. During the event, Kimberly and the couple’s children joined the cast onstage to perform Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want To Wait,” the show’s theme song.

The Dawson’s Creek cast — including Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe, and Busy Philipps — reunited at the Richard Rodgers Theatre for a live reading of the pilot episode. The event benefited F Cancer and Van Der Beek, who was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer last year.

Jason Moore, a Dawson’s alum, directed the event, which was produced by Carl Ogawa, Moore, Williams, Thomas Kail, Maggie Brohn, Kevin Williamson, and Greg Berlanti. The original series aired for six seasons from 1998 to 2003 and addressed pivotal coming-of-age topics.

Van Der Beek has been open about his cancer journey since announcing his diagnosis in November 2024. Speaking to PEOPLE at the time, he shared that he was feeling positive and offered encouragement to others facing similar challenges.

“Miracles do happen — and they happen all the time,” he said. “It’s scary at the onset. It’s overwhelming. Go easy on yourself. You got this.”

“I’ve really been so blessed with my wife and kids,” he added. “I’ve got a lot to live for, and it’s a beautiful life.”