Dawson’s Creek Cast Reunites After 7 Years to Support James Van Der Beek Amid Cancer Battle
Hi, I’m Jaden Patel, and if you thought the most dramatic thing about Dawson’s Creek was Pacey’s hairline, well… life has a way of reminding us that reality can be just as messy.
Let’s set the scene: It’s September 2025. The air is crisp, the leaves are falling, and in a theater somewhere in New York City, a group of actors who haven’t shared a stage in seven years are getting ready to read lines from a script written in 1998. Why? Because one of them—yes, *that* one—is currently fighting cancer like it’s the final boss level of adulthood.
That’s right, folks. The Dawson’s Creek cast is reuniting for a live reading of the pilot episode at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on September 22. And no, this isn’t some surreal fan fiction dream—it’s real, and it’s happening to raise money for F Cancer, an organization dedicated to colorectal cancer awareness and research.
James Van Der Beek, the man behind Dawson Leery and approximately 40% of early-2000s pop culture references, revealed his stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis back in August 2024. He made the news public three months later, which, let’s be honest, is probably when he realized he couldn’t fake being “just tired” anymore.
But instead of wallowing, he leaned into work. In a recent interview with Today (which, fun fact, shares a corporate parent with E!), Van Der Beek admitted that acting gives him a temporary escape from the chaos of treatment. “The greatest thing about work is cancer doesn’t exist between action and cut,” he said. Which sounds like something a character in a Dawson’s Creek monologue would say, except this time, it’s real life—and it hurts more than Joey’s indecision between two boys.
The reunion will bring together nearly all original stars: Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe, and Busy Phillips. That’s a lot of Capeside energy in one room. And yes, even Kevin Williamson, the show’s creator, is involved, calling the event “so much more than I ever dreamed.”
Busy Phillips confirmed the news on Instagram back in August, writing, “This has been months and months in the making and it’s finally all happening!!!” Which, honestly, sounds like the emotional equivalent of watching your favorite couple finally kiss after six seasons of tension—but in this case, it’s about friendship, love, and a very serious cause.
This will be the first full-cast reunion since their 2020 Entertainment Weekly shoot for the show’s 20th anniversary. As Katie Holmes put it then, “I think we’ve all sort of seen each other over the years, but not everybody all together. And never for long enough.” So maybe this is less about nostalgia and more about showing up for someone who needs it most.
And while we’re here, let’s take a moment to remember that the show almost didn’t happen at all. Fox initially picked it up, then dropped it because they were already dealing with another teen drama called *Party of Five*. The WB eventually stepped in two years later, proving once again that timing is everything—even in Hollywood.
Oh, and the theme song? Originally, producers wanted Alanis Morissette’s “Hand in My Pocket.” But they couldn’t land the rights. Instead, Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want to Wait” became the iconic anthem of teenage angst and awkward pauses. Which just goes to show: sometimes the backup plan becomes the legacy.
So, what do we have here? A cast reuniting not for ratings or red carpets, but for love, support, and a cause bigger than any high school romance arc. And really, isn’t that the kind of story worth telling?
Well, there you go. Another chapter added to the legend of Capeside—this time with fewer breakups and more heartbreak.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! News, Today Show, Us Weekly, Entertainment Weekly
Generated by AI
