Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek auctioning belongings amid cancer diagnosis

Items from his popular Nineties teen drama, as well as his movies, will be sold to help ease ‘the financial cost of fighting cancer’

The Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek is auctioning off a number of items from his popular television shows and films amid his colorectal cancer diagnosis.

The 48-year-old will auction flannel shirts he wore while filming the Nineties teen drama that made his name, as well as wardrobe items from his 1999 American football film Varsity Blues. All proceeds from the items will help Van Der Beek “with the financial cost of fighting cancer,” according to People Magazine.

“I’ve been storing these treasures for years, waiting for the right time to do something with them, and with all of the recent unexpected twists and turns life has presented recently, it’s clear that the time is now,” Van Der Beek said in a statement.

Van Der Beek announced in 2024 that he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer, a type of cancer which starts in either the colon or the rectum – both are part of the large intestine in the body’s digestive system.

The actor, whose credits also include the Bret Easton Ellis film adaptation The Rules of Attraction and the sitcom Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, said earlier this year that he was “feeling great,” adding: “There are just so many ups and downs, and so many unknowns. Cancer, I call it a full-time job.”

James Van Der Beek in the video message he sent to the ‘Dawson’s Creek’ reunion he was forced to back out of in September (Social media)

In September, he was forced to pull out of a live reading of the Dawson’s Creek pilot episode, which saw the show’s original cast members – among them Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson – reunite to raise money for cancer charities.

While the event did go ahead, with Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda stepping in at the last minute to replace Van Der Beek, the actor expressed his sorrow at having to miss it due to a stomach illness.

“Despite every effort… I won’t get to be there,” he wrote in a statement. “I won’t get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theatre for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most.”

He did, however, send in a pre-recorded video message thanking those in attendance. Van Der Beek’s family – including his wife Kimberly and their six children – did attend the reunion.

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Van Der Beek’s memorabilia auction will be held via Propstore’s Winter Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction. Interested bidders can register now, with live in-room bidding taking place in London on 6 December and global online bidding from 7 December.