James Van Der Beek, 47, is flooded with messages of support after revealing colorectal cancer diagnosis as fans wish him strength and praise star for raising awareness of disease

James Van Der Beek has been inundated with a wave of supportive messages from his fans after going public with his battle with colorectal cancer.

The actor, 47, revealed on his Instagram over the weekend that he had been diagnosed with cancer, later providing further clarity People that it was colorectal cancer.

He added that he felt forced to announce his cancer diagnosis to the world before he had a chance to tell his loved ones, as a tabloid planned to break the news.

In his post, James explained that he had received treatment and assured that he was “in a good place and feeling strong.”

Following his announcement, the Dawson’s Creek star was praised by fans on social media as they expressed their shock and sadness and sent him well wishes, while many said they hoped his outspokenness would raise awareness of the disease.

They went to X and said, ‘I’m sorry to hear that James Van Der Beek has colorectal cancer. James, you have been an inspiration to me for many reasons and I know you are strong! You will beat this!’

‘James Van Der Beek has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer. My father died of the disease and it is terrible. I just had a routine colonoscopy last week. Please get examined and pray for this man.”

‘I find this so very sad. I grew up on Dawson’s Creek and he’s a great actor. Wow, this is just so sad.

‘I wish James Van Der Beek strength and recovery in this challenging time; Oh please, let #jamesvanderbeek be okay, I beg.”

‘Van Der Beek’s openness about his diagnosis of colon cancer is commendable. It raises awareness of the condition and emphasizes the importance of family support during difficult times. I wish him strength on his journey.’

‘I wish James Van Der Beek a full recovery. God bless him and his family of six children; Oh wow, that’s shocking! I can’t believe James is going through this!’

‘All the best to James Van Der Beek. I hope he beats it. And Dawson’s Creek used to be one of the teen classics for me.”

‘I wish strength and support to James Van Der Beek. It’s a tough journey, but his story can inspire others to prioritize their health.”

In James’ statement, he said he shared the news “on his own terms” and apologized to the “people in his life he wasn’t able to tell in person first.”

He explained that he had been told that a tabloid was planning to spread the news, so he rushed out before he had a chance to tell certain people, admitting that this was before he would have liked to make it public to make.

He wrote: ‘It’s cancer…’ Approximately 2 billion people around the world are diagnosed with this disease every year. And I am one of them.

“There’s no playbook for how to announce these things, but I planned to talk about it in depth with People magazine soon… to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms.

“But that plan had to change early this morning when I got word that a tabloid was going to break the news.”

James continued, “I have been dealing with this privately until now, getting the treatment and dialing in my overall health with more focus than ever before.

‘I’m in a good place and I feel strong. It was quite an initiation, and I will tell you more when I am ready.

“Apologies to all the people in my life that I wish I could have said to myself. Nothing about this process happened on my favorite timeline.

“But we roll with it, taking each surprise as a signpost, pointing us to a greater destiny than we would have discovered without divine intervention.

“Please know that my family and I truly appreciate all the love and support. More to come…’

James will be one of several celebrities appearing on Fox’s The Real Full Monty, a two-hour special in which celebrities strip naked to raise awareness of prostate, testicular and colorectal cancer testing and research.

He will be joined by Taye Diggs, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones and Dancing With the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli.

Although it is unclear when he was first diagnosed with cancer, it certainly has not slowed him down professionally.

He most recently appeared in an episode of The CW’s Walker and will next be seen in the Tubi film Sidelined: The QB and Me, debuting on November 29.

Those projects were his first since 2021, when he provided the voice for Boris in the Disney animated series Vampirina.

The Van Der Beeks just celebrated Halloween on their 36-acre ranch in Texas with their six children: daughter Olivia, 14; son Joshua, 12; daughter Annabel, 10; daughter Emilia, eight; daughter Gwendolyn, six; and son Jeremiah, three.

Earlier on Sunday, James confirmed to People: “I have colon cancer. I have dealt with this diagnosis privately and have taken steps to resolve it, with the support of my wonderful family. There is reason for optimism, and I feel good.’

It is unclear what stage of colorectal cancer James has, but the disease is said to start in the colon or rectum in an average of one in 23 men, with 65% surviving past five years.