James Van Der Beek said cancer was the “best thing that ever happened” to him because it gave him a renewed outlook on life.
In the “Dawson’s Creek” alum’s final final interview two months before his tragic death at 48, he spoke to “Today” show’s Craig Melvin about undergoing a positive mindset shift.
Van Der Beek recalled hearing “a little voice in [his] head” during his August 2023 colorectal cancer diagnosis.
“[It] said, ‘You’re gonna make changes in your life that you would never, ever make if you didn’t have this extreme of a diagnosis, and it’s gonna add healthy, happy years to your life,’” the actor remembered in the December 2025 sitdown.
“I don’t think I knew what it was to slow down before,” Van Der Beek noted. “I don’t think I knew what it was to really look at everything I eat, everything I put in my body.”
As for his “biggest change,” the “Pose” alum said cancer led to his subsequent “journey of self-love.”
He told viewers, “I think before cancer, I took all these little, beautiful moments as part of a collective. I was just aware of everything. And now I’m able, much more, to just settle into that exact moment. So presence is really the gift that cancer’s given me.”
During the chat, the “Varsity Blues” star told viewers he was feeling “strong,” “good” and “better than [he] did a couple months ago.”
He added, “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.”
The previous month, James’ wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, gushed via Instagram that her husband was “bouncing back.”
By January, James anticipated a winter of “rest” and “recover[y]” as he looked forward to creating resolutions in the spring.
However, Kimberly confirmed her partner’s passing in a heart-wrenching Instagram post on Wednesday.
“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” the 43-year-old wrote. “There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity, and the sacredness of time.”
She promised, “Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”
James is survived by the longtime couple’s six children — Olivia, 14, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 11, Emilia, 8, Gwendolyn, 6, and Jeremiah, 3.
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