Michelle Williams breaks silence on “Dawson's Creek” costar James Van Der Beek's death: 'Thinking about his family constantly'

Sydney BucksbaumMon, March 2, 2026 at 1:58 PM UTC

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Michelle Williams and James Van Der Beek on 'Dawson's Creek'Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection

Michelle Williams is thinking about her late Dawson's Creek costar James Van Der Beek "constantly."

At the 2026 Actor Awards on Sunday, Williams addressed the passing of her former costar for the first time since his death two weeks ago at 48 after a battle with colorectal cancer."I'm thinking about him," Williams told Entertainment Tonight after Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series for her performance in Dying for Sex. "And I'm thinking about his family constantly."

Katie Holmes, James Van Der Beek, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson on 'Dawson's Creek'Credit: Warner Bros./Getty

She added, “I also just want to say it’s been such an amazing thing as James is a friend and a friend of the family to see the response in the wake of his passing.”Referencing the the GoFundMe that has raised $2.75 million dollars to support Van Der Beek's wife Kimberly and their six children, Williams continued, "I just really want to say thank you to each and every person who has contributed to sustaining their lives and their children’s lives. It’s an incredibly meaningful thing to witness.”Williams and Van Der Beek starred on all six seasons of the seminal WB teen drama from 1998-2003.Van Der Beek died on Feb. 11, Kimberly announced in a statement on his social media accounts."Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning," her statement said. "He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend."

A cause of death has not been shared, but the actor previously opened up about his diagnosis of stage 3 colorectal cancer in November 2024 at age 46.

"That's one of the reasons I want to talk about it and the reason I'm talking about it so openly," Van Der Beek told PEOPLE days after publicly revealing his diagnosis. "I've been dealing with this pretty much in secret for a while, and in the past, I've found it helpful and cathartic to share things publicly. And I've found a lot of support that way. But more than that, I really wanted to raise awareness."

Michelle Williams at the 2026 Actor AwardsCredit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

Van Der Beek was unable to attend a September 2025 Dawson's Creek reunion charity event in person due to "two stomach viruses," so he made a surprise appearance via a prerecorded video instead. His gaunt appearance on camera sparked overwhelming concern from fans who worried that his cancer was taking a turn, but the actor clarified that his weight loss was "not cancer-related" in an interview with Today show cohost Craig Melvin in December 2025.

Van Der Beek's wife and their six children attended the charity reunion event in his place, where two of his daughters went onstage to sing the show's theme song — Paula Cole's "I Don't Want to Wait" — with his former costars Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Busy Philipps, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, and Meredith Monroe.

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"As crushed as I was not being able to go to that Dawson's Creek reunion, my family got to go. And I was Zooming in on that night, and they got a standing ovation just for taking their seats," Van Der Beek recalled. "And all that love that would have otherwise been directed at me, was directed at my family. It was just one of the most beautiful moments I've ever gotten to witness. I'm just so grateful to the fans for doing that."

The last time the entire cast was reunited under the same roof was for Entertainment Weekly's cover story shoot celebrating the 20th anniversary of Dawson's Creek. Van Der Beek and his costars Holmes, Jackson, Williams, Philipps, Smith, Monroe, and Peil became a family again for the 2018 EW shoot. Dawson, Joey, Pacey, Jen, and more caught each other up on how the small-town, coming-of-age drama changed their lives.

"I was doing some appearance for The WB at the time, and it was pandemonium, like five times as many people as they thought would show up showed up," Van Der Beek shared during the reunion. "We ran out of headshots. Girls were getting pressed against barricades. They had to take me out in a police car to get me out of there. To this day, whenever I hear a gaggle of teenage girls cackling and giggling, I have the lamest form of PTSD ever."

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Series creator Kevin Williamson told EW at the time that he originally envisioned Jackson for the part of Dawson. But the WB said no, so he went back to the drawing board. He's grateful that he did, because when he did meet Van Der Beek, he knew at once the actor was perfect for the part. "He looked the part, he acted the part, he talked the part," Williamson said. "And he was so intelligent, he was so smart. He didn't look like a nerd but he was a nerd inside."

Following his death, the official Dawson's Creek account paid tribute to its star on social media by sharing a throwback photo of Van Der Beek with a caption that read, "His iconic portrayal of Dawson Leery helped define a generation of television for fans and continues to resonate with audiences today. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones."

on Entertainment Weekly

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