James Van Der Beek is suffering from colorectal cancer.
The actor, best known for his starring roles in “Dawson’s Creek” and “Varsity Blues,” shared the news in a statement to People magazine over the weekend, but he later revealed that he wanted to wait to go public with his diagnosis.
In an Instagram post, Van Der Beek wrote, “‘It is cancer…’ Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I’m one of them.”
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He continued, “There’s no playbook for how [to] announce these things, but I’d planned on talking about it at length with People magazine at some point soon… to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms. But that plan had to be altered early this morning when I was informed that a tabloid was going to run with the news.”
Until now, he explained that he had been “dealing with this privately,” focusing on “getting treatment and dialing in my overall health with greater focus than ever before.”
He also shared, “I’m in a good place and feeling strong. It’s been quite the initiation, and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready.”
Van Der Beek then took a moment to apologize to people he knows personally who had to find out about his diagnosis through the media, noting, “Nothing about this process has occurred on my preferred timeline… But we roll with it, taking each surprise as a signpost, pointing us toward a greater destiny than we would have discovered without divine intervention.”
He thanked his followers for their love and support and said that there will be “more to come.”
His wife of 14 years, Kimberly, commented on his post, writing, “I love you baby” and adding a heart emoji.
The father of six said in his original statement to People, “I have colorectal cancer. I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family.”
He added, “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.”
According to Mayo Clinic, “many treatments can help control” colorectal cancer, including “surgery, radiation therapy and medicines, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy.” It is recommended that people with an average risk of the cancer begin preventative screenings at 45.
This year, Van Der Beek, 47, earned one acting credit for appearing in a June episode of “Walker.” A movie, “Sidelined The QB and Me,” premieres on Tubi later this month.
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In December, he is set to appear in a Fox special called “The Real Full Monty.” In the special, he, along with actors Taye Diggs, Tyler Posey and Anthony Anderson, as well as Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones and “Dancing with the Stars” judge Bruno Toniolo, will “strip down to raise awareness for prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancer testing and research.”
He first announced his involvement with the special in May, months before he revealed his personal struggle with the disease.
Last week, Diggs spoke to People about the special, saying that when the cast got together, they “really started to talk about these issues, everyone started opening up, and we got to know each other on a different level.”
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He said, “That informed the performance, instead of it being this cute striptease with all these middle-aged men, it meant something.”
In a promo, the stars can be seen stripping down, similarly to the characters in the original “Full Monty” film.
The special airs on Fox on Dec. 9.
