James Van Der Beek has pulled out of the Dawson’s Creek reunion event after contracting two stomach viruses, with Lin-Manuel Miranda set to replace him. The actor announced the news on Instagram on Sunday, expressing his disappointment at missing the charity reading organised by his former co-star Michelle Williams.
The Dawson's Creek Class Reunion, announced in August, will feature a live reading of the first episode by stars Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, and Joshua Jackson. The event, held at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City, aims to raise funds for the charity F Cancer, in support of Van Der Beek, who revealed his stage three colorectal cancer diagnosis last year.
Van Der Beek, who played protagonist Dawson Leery, wrote on Instagram: “This is the evening I’d been looking forward to MOST since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together, way back in January. So you can imagine how gutted I was when two stomach viruses conspired to knock me out of commission.” He added that despite every effort, he would not be able to attend, but praised his replacement: “The role of ‘Dawson’, usually played by James Van Der Beek… will be played by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Can’t believe I just got to type that.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Pulitzer, Tony, and Emmy-winning creator of Hamilton, will take over for the one-night-only reading. The event is co-produced by show creator Kevin Williamson and Jason Moore, who directed several episodes and will also direct the reading. The original series, which aired from 1998 to 2003, launched a golden era of teen dramas and followed the relationships of childhood friends.
Van Der Beek has been open about his cancer journey since his diagnosis. In a recent interview on Today, he described cancer as “a full-time job” and urged people to get screened even without symptoms. He noted that he had missed warning signs, attributing irregular bowel movements to coffee consumption before seeking medical advice. The actor said he is “feeling great” but acknowledged the ups and downs of living with the disease.
