James Van Der Beek has given an honest update about his cancer journey.
The 47-year-old actor opened up about living with stage three colorectal cancer, two years after being diagnosed, during a Wednesday episode of Today. After noting that he was “feeling great,” he described how cancer has “been a journey” for him.
“There are just so many ups and downs, and so many unknowns. Cancer, I call it a full-time job,” he said on the show.
He said that since there weren’t any “warning signs” leading up to his diagnosis, he’s urging people to get screened even if they don’t have symptoms.
According to the American Cancer Society, people at average risk of colorectal cancer should start regular screenings at age 45. Those with an increased risk of cancer should start screenings even earlier.
Colorectal cancer is a type of cancer that starts in either the colon or the rectum, which are both parts of the large intestine in the body’s digestive system.
During his interview with Today, the Dawson’s Creek star explained how he first spoke to his six children, whom he shares with wife Kimberly Van Der Beek, about his cancer diagnosis. He also shared his advice for parents who are having these difficult conversations with their kids.
“I’m far from an expert, but our approach was just to be as honest as possible, as honest to the degree of their understanding, right? Because they know,” he said. “They know if Dad’s in pain. They know, and so by not telling them, I think you’re confusing them even more.”
“When you tell them what you’re doing, and you tell them the approach, they can see it and they can feel it, and I think it’s also your journey is their journey,” he added, before noting that he lets his children show up for him “emotionally.”
Van Der Beek and his wife have four daughters — Olivia, 14, Annabel, 11, Emilia, nine, and Gwendolyn, six — and two sons, Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, two.
During an interview with People in November, after revealing his diagnosis, he explained what led him to get screened for cancer, which was ultimately a symptom he’d missed.
“I’d always associated cancer with age and with unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles,” Van Der Beek said. “But I was in amazing cardiovascular shape. I tried to eat healthy — or as far as I knew it at the time.”
During the summer of 2023, he cut coffee from his diet, thinking it was the reason for his irregular bowel movements. However, when this did not change his symptoms, he went to the hospital.
“Then the gastroenterologist said — in his most pleasant bedside manner — that it was cancer,” he said at the time.
“I think I went into shock…. The trickiest thing is there are so many unknowns with cancer. You think, ‘How do I fix this? Is this healing me? Is this hurting me? Is this working? Is it coming back?’ As someone who likes answers, not knowing is one of the hardest things,” he continued.