James Van Der Beek Was One Of The Good Ones

When James Van Der Beek died this week at the age of 48, most mainstream headlines focused on how he was the face of the teen drama “Dawson’s Creek” in the late 1990s. That’s certainly true. But in the end, what mattered most to the most iconic teen heartthrob happened long after that show aired its finale in 2003.

In 2020, Van Der Beek rejected Hollywood life and did something radical, taking his wife Kimberly and their children and trading Los Angeles for a ranch outside Austin, Texas. At the time, he said it was for the good of his family, not for the applause.

Just after moving to his 36-acre property, the actor told Today Parents: “We were living on this tiny little lot with a tiny backyard. He [then 8-year-old son Joshua] seemed to be like an animal in a cage that was too small.”

A few years later they weren’t missing the fame and glamour. They were enjoying a simpler life.

“We love it. We have a lot more space,” Van Der Beek told Fox News Digital in 2022, as The Daily Wire previously reported. “We all need a more immediate connection to nature. It’s been a really, really great move and the kids are really happy.”

“The parks have been amazing,” he continued. “We’ve been going to state parks and the national parks. It’s just one of the benefits of getting out of the big city was getting to a place where we could just have more space right outside our door. It’s a very, it’s a very different life.”

“We watch the sunset,” the actor explained. “We know what phase the moon is in. We can actually see stars, which is a new thing.”

Van Der Beek isn’t the only Hollywood celebrity to leave the bright lights of the city behind. But he is someone who wholeheartedly embraced his new reality and dedicated his life to fatherhood. The actor didn’t brag constantly or post for the likes. Instead, the “Varsity Blues” alum appeared to gain a new appreciation for life. 

Van Der Beek was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2023 and shared it with fans one year later. He was optimistic about fighting it, but still took time to reflect on his own mortality.

On his 48th birthday in March 2025, knowing he was in the fight of his life, Van Der Beek posted a video that deserves to be remembered as his final lesson to a culture that loves to pretend people can live forever. 

 

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A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames)

“When I was younger, I used to define myself as an actor, which was never really all that fulfilling. And then I became a husband, and that was much better. And then I became a father, and that was the ultimate,” he told social media followers in a clip that has gone viral after his death.

“I could define myself then as a loving, capable, strong, supportive husband, father, provider, steward of the land that we’re so lucky to live on,” he said. “And for a long time, that felt like a really good definition to the question, ‘Who am I?’ ‘What am I?’”

Van Der Beek went on with some deep reflections.

“And then this year, I had to look my own mortality in the eye. I had to come nose to nose with death. And all of those definitions that I cared so deeply about were stripped from me,” he continued. “I was away for treatment. I could no longer be a husband that was helpful to my wife. I could no longer be a father who could pick up his kids and put them to bed and be there for them. I could not be a provider because I wasn’t working. I couldn’t even be a steward of the land, because at times I was too weak to prune all the trees during the window that you’re supposed to prune them.”

The answer to his struggle came through meditation, prayers, and a spiritual journey that deepened his faith, he said.

“And so I was faced with the question, if I am just a too skinny, weak guy alone in an apartment with cancer, what am I?” he asked. “I meditated, and the answer came through: I am worthy of God’s love. Simply because I exist. And if I’m worthy of God’s love, shouldn’t I also be worthy of my own? And the same is true for you.”

He spoke openly on multiple occasions about how cancer transformed his relationship with faith, plus how it changed his whole life.

“Before cancer, God was something I tried to fit into my life as much as possible,” Van Der Beek said during a “Today” show appearance in December. “After cancer, I feel like a connection to God, whatever that is, is kind of the whole point of this exercise on this planet.”

He also called his diagnosis a gift that would help him grow as a person. “I went into shock … One of the things I was really lucky about was as soon as I heard the news, I thought, ‘This is going to be the best thing that ever happened to me,’” he said.

The actor explained, “I had this little voice in my head that said, ‘You’re going to make changes in your life that you would never, ever make if you didn’t have this extreme of a diagnosis. And it’s going to add healthy, happy years to your life.’”

Van Der Beek used his platform to share real wisdom — not curated self-help platitudes, but insights from a man facing his own demise. He posted about embracing his family and living in gratitude for every day he was given. Until the end, he showed that a terminal diagnosis can be met with strength and stoicism.

When his wife of 15 years announced his death on Wednesday, she wrote that he met his final days “with courage, faith, and grace.” Anyone following his journey saw exactly that as Van Der Beek consistently chose inner peace over bitterness and despair.

What others said about him following his death is also a testament to his character. Van Der Beek received loving tributes from friends and former colleagues, with his “Dawson’s Creek” costar Katie Holmes referring to his life as “the journey of a hero.” Such accolades are to be expected from loved ones, but the most telling one came from his ex-wife, Heather McComb.

“James was a beautiful soul filled with so much light, love, talent, humor, depth, sensitivity, knowledge and a deep love of God that shined through him,” she posted on Instagram. “He shined so bright yet was so humble and human. Always searching, always growing, always going deeper, always chasing things outside his comfort zone.”

James Van Der Beek’s life after Hollywood is the antithesis of everything celebrities are known for. He had six kids despite elites telling us children are burdens. He was devoted to his wife. He ditched Hollywood for Texas. And then he talked about God and faith even when it wasn’t cool.

The world lost a good person this week, but to his six children, he leaves a legacy that lasts forever. To the rest of us, he leaves some hope that Hollywood is still hiding a few gems.