# James Van Der Beek RIP **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 11, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591 "2026-02-11T20:22:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/1 "2026-02-11T20:22:27Z")
> **[James Van Der Beek, 'Dawson's Creek' and 'Varsity Blues' star, dies at 48](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/obituaries/james-van-der-beek-dawsons-creek-varsity-blues-star-dies-48-rcna233633)** > > The actor was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer in November 2024. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/2 "2026-02-11T20:29:43Z")
That blows. My favorite role of his was in the music video for Kesha’s “Blow.” He went by James Van Der Douche in that one. > **[Ke$ha - Blow (Official Video)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFWX0hWCbng%2F)** > > Ke$ha's official music video for 'Blow'. Click to listen to Ke$ha on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/KeshaSpot?IQid=KeshBlowAs featured on Animal. Click to buy t... ---
**Author:** ![SwissMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/3 "2026-02-11T20:30:42Z")
Incredibly sad, though unfortunately not totally unexpected. When I saw the video he sent in to that Dawson’s Creek reunion, I knew that the situation was quite grim. He was so very gaunt in appearance. _Varsity Blues_ is starting to look like a cursed movie. This is now four cast members of the movie that have died at young ages. Van Der Beek and Ron Lester died of natural causes while Paul Walker and Joe Pichler did not (Walker of course died in a car accident; Pichler, who played Van Der Beek’s character’s little brother, disappeared in 2006 and is widely believed to have committed suicide). ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/4 "2026-02-11T20:35:26Z")
I watched Dawson’s Creek when I was in college. Perfect background while doing homework. He died at 48. I turn 48 tomorrow. Gives me a lot to think about. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/5 "2026-02-11T20:41:37Z")
I’ll always enjoy his cameo in _Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back_ as himself, playing Jay in the film-within-the-film . ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/6 "2026-02-11T21:11:41Z")
Had no idea he was sick. I not too long ago rewatched all of _Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23_, where he played James Van Der Beek. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/7 "2026-02-12T00:34:13Z")
I did too and it was such a great show and I really admired that he could mock himself so well. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/8 "2026-02-12T20:44:17Z")
His Screen Actors Guild insurance must have been dropped, because someone started a Gofundme that has raised more than $1.5 million. Stephen Spielberg and Kate Capshaw donated $25k. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/9 "2026-02-12T21:09:58Z")
His wife said on the [GoFundMe page](https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-james-van-der-beeks-family) that his cancer fight exhausted the family’s money. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/10 "2026-02-12T21:15:53Z")
I would have thought that a movie star like him would have had the best insurance available, with small maximum-out-of-pocket caps. Anyhow, though, a whole lot of people are getting colon cancer these days much earlier than the original 50/60 years or older age. Microplastics or not, many folks need colonoscoping. I know fellow Millennials with it. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/11 "2026-02-12T21:25:19Z")
Someone in my organization also had cancer and wanted to pursue some sort of unconventional treatment that wasn’t covered by insurance so there was a request for contributions. Perhaps James Van Der Beek also tried treatments that weren’t covered by insurance? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/12 "2026-02-12T21:25:48Z")
James was on _Masked Singer_ not that long ago, and while he was healthy enough to compete on that show, he didn’t look like himself. (I mean, even when he took the costume off.) As others said, it was known that he was sick, so this isn’t unexpected, but it’s still too young and shocking because of it. My wife is a huge _Dawson’s Creek_ fan and has been very sad. I liked him as an actor, particularly the _Jay and Silent Bob_ film previously referenced in this thread. One thing I didn’t know is that Alfonso Ribeiro (originally known for _Silver Spoons_, later for being Carlton on _Fresh Prince of Bel-Air_, and more recently being a host on _America’s Funniest Home Videos_ and _Dancing with the Stars_), he was very close with James. He is even a godfather to one of his kids. He was there with him at the end of his life too. [_Parade_ - Alfonso Ribeiro Mourns James Van Der Beek’s Death: ‘I’m So Broken Right Now’](https://parade.com/celebrities/alfonso-ribeiro-pays-tribute-to-james-van-der-beek) Alfonso and James used to go camping with RVs, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack Morris of _Saved by the Bell_) would join them. That just seems so weird to me. > “[Gosselaar and I] became friends with James Van Der Beek and we convinced [him and his family] to buy the same RV,” he shared. “So, the three of us can go to an RV park and we roll up as ‘tripsies.’” RIP James. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/13 "2026-02-12T23:36:41Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Perhaps James Van Der Beek also tried treatments that weren’t covered by insurance? I’ve read in multiple places that he chose unconventional and uncovered treatments for a significant period of time before eventually returning to conventional treatments. I don’t know the veracity of those reports. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/14 "2026-02-13T02:36:07Z")
Earlier today I wrote the following on the Bud Cort thread…. According to IMDB, the fourth best episode of Criminal Minds is Mosely Lane (and one of my favorite episodes). Bud Cort was one of the bad guys in the episode. For this thread…. According to IMDB, the third best episode of Criminal Minds is Revelations (and one of my favorite episodes). James Van Der Beek is the bad guy in the episode. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/15 "2026-02-13T03:48:33Z")
I did see that. Plus, 6 kids aren’t exactly cheaper by the half dozen to raise. I, too wondered if he pursued “unconventional” treatment. Not blaming anyone here, but one may remember that Coretta Scott King died in a Tijuana “cancer” clinic. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/16 "2026-02-13T03:54:05Z")
Perhaps the doctors said, “We’ve done all we can.” At that point, one might turn to unconventional or alternative medicine treatments. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/17 "2026-02-13T03:59:45Z")
That does happen a lot, unfortunately. It can mean that the family has, among other things, nothing left for the funeral. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/18 "2026-02-13T05:40:31Z")
That was reportedly what Andy Kaufman did. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/19 "2026-02-13T06:52:24Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I would have thought that a movie star like him would have had the best insurance available, with small maximum-out-of-pocket caps. He was a reasonably well-known actor, though he worked largely in television. [His IMDb entry](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004735/) shows that he worked steadily, but he hadn’t been a lead actor in a series since _CSI: Cyber_, ten years ago. That probably put him in the top 1% of working actors, but probably not pulling in the kind of enormous money that a bankable, “leading man” movie star would be making. I’m sure that he worked regularly enough to qualify for health insurance through the Screen Actors Guild, but I would be very surprised if he had “money is no object” level health insurance. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-van-der-beek-rip/1027591/20 "2026-02-13T13:33:45Z")
Apparently his wife (now widow) is a vocal anti-vaxxer with some aspects of conspiracy theories similar to RFK Jr. It’s not a big leap from that to pursuing alternate medical treatments when faced with cancer.