Van Der Beek was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer in August 2023. He documented his experience living with the disease on social media and urged his followers to undergo colonoscopy screenings. Last September, the cast of Dawson’s Creek reunited to raise funds for the charity F Cancer and support their co-star (the actor had been forced to sell memorabilia from the show as his treatment costs surged). Van Der Beek was too ill to attend.