’90s Star Says Cancer Journey Will Last for the ‘Rest’ of His Life originally appeared on Parade.
James Van Der Beek shared an update about his cancer journey and revealed his mindset about the experience.
“I’m just on the journey. … It’s a process,” Van Der Beek, 48, told Today.com in an interview published on Wednesday, July 30. “It’ll probably be a process for the rest of my life.”
After he was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2023, the Dawson’s Creek alum made several lifestyle changes to support his health. In addition to stretching more and practicing yoga, Van Der Beek also tried the keto diet.
His mindset has also changed, and he explained that he now looks for “the beauty of just taking things a little bit more slowly and prioritizing rest and really allowing that to be the job.”
Amid his health battle, Van Der Beek said that acting has helped him find solace in the experience. He is currently working on the show Elle, which follows Legally Blonde character Elle Woods in high school.
“The greatest thing about work is cancer doesn’t exist between action and cut,” he said. “It was fun to drop in and just have a blast because it’s such a great cast, a great production, and everybody out there is really talented.”
Van Der Beek has been open about his cancer diagnosis, and he revealed what it’s been like to hear from fans that he’s helped them during their own health battles. “Guys I see at the gas station, people come up to me at a coffee shop, I appreciate it every time,” he shared.
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“That’s been stuff that really makes me cry. When people say, ‘I got checked, I got a colonoscopy, I got a polyp removed,’ … just to save somebody that journey,” Van Der Beek said.
He also noted that it’s important to have your health checked because anyone can get cancer. “I ate as well as I could. I was healthy. I was in amazing cardiovascular shape,” he explained. “There was no reason in my mind that I should have gotten a positive diagnosis.”
’90s Star Says Cancer Journey Will Last for the ‘Rest’ of His Life first appeared on Parade on Jul 31, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
