James Van Der Beek has revealed that he felt forced to reveal his cancer diagnosis to the world before he had the chance to tell his loved ones.
The actor, 47, shared his news on Instagram over the weekend, but admitted it was before he would have liked to go public.
Sharing the announcement “on his own terms,” James apologized to the “people in his life that he hadn’t had a chance to tell in person first.”
James explained that he was told that a tabloid was planning to publish the news, so he rushed out a statement before he had a chance to tell certain people.
He did not reveal what type of cancer he was diagnosed with in his post, although he did say People who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
James Van Der Beek has revealed that he felt forced to reveal his cancer diagnosis to the world before he had the chance to tell his own family.
The actor, 47, shared his news on Instagram over the weekend, but admitted it was before he would have liked to go public.
He wrote: ”It’s cancer…’ Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I am one of them,” he began.
“There’s no manual on how to announce these things, but I had planned to talk at length about it with People magazine sometime soon… to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms,” she added.
“But that plan had to be modified early this morning when I was informed that a tabloid was going to publish the news,” the actor continued.
“I have been dealing with this privately until now, receiving treatment and improving my overall health more carefully than ever before,” he continued.
‘I’m in a good place and I feel strong. It has been quite an initiation and I will tell you more when it is ready,’ he insisted.
‘Apologies to all the people in my life that I had planned to say to myself. None of this process has occurred on my preferred schedule,” he added.
“But we press on, taking each surprise as a sign, pointing us toward a greater destiny than we would have discovered without divine intervention,” he said.
‘Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support. More to come…” he concluded.
The actor is scheduled to be one of many celebrities appearing on Fox’s The Real Full Monty, a two-hour special where celebrities will strip naked to raise awareness about 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.
“But that plan had to be altered early this morning when I was informed that a tabloid was going to publish the news,” the actor continued.
Sharing the announcement “on his own terms,” James apologized to the “people in his life who he hasn’t had a chance to tell in person first” (pictured with two of his children).
While it’s unclear when he was first diagnosed with cancer, that certainly hasn’t slowed him down on the work front.
He 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 November 29.
Those projects were his first since 2021, when he voiced Boris in the Disney animated series Vampirina.
The Van Der Beeks just celebrated Halloween at their 36-acre ranch in Texas with their six children: daughter Olivia, 14; son Joshua, 12; daughter Annabel, 10 years old; daughter Emilia, 8 years old; daughter Gwendolyn, 6 years old; and his son Jeremiah, 3.
Earlier on Sunday, the Connecticut-born blonde confirmed to People: “I have colorectal cancer.” I have been dealing with this diagnosis privately and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my amazing family. There are reasons for optimism and I feel good.’
It’s unclear what stage of colorectal cancer James has, but it reportedly starts in the colon or rectum in one in 23 men on average, and 65% survive after five years.
