James Van Der Beek Walks 1st Red Carpet Since Revealing Cancer Battle

James Van Der Beek made his first red carpet appearance since announcing his stage III colorectal cancer battle.

Van Der Beek, 47, stepped out at the premiere of Sidelined: The QB and Me in Los Angeles on Thursday, November 14. He sported a brown, checked suit with a persimmon-colored sweater underneath.

The actor stars in the Tubi film, which follows the high school love story of a dancer and a quarterback, alongside Siena Agudong, Drew Ray Tanner, Noah Beck, Josh Zaharia and Mia Shanks.

Van Der Beek, who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2023, revealed his health scare earlier this month.

“I’m very cautiously optimistic. I’m in a place of healing, my energy levels are great,” he told People in a November profile. “When I’ve been out of the woods completely for what feels like a responsible amount of time, I’ll circle back and let you know. I have a lot to live for.”

The Dawson’s Creek alum privately completed treatment.

“If you’ve heard about it, I’ve probably touched on it,” he told the outlet. “This has been a crash course in the mastery of mind, body, and spirit. I thought, ‘This is either going to take me out of the body, or it’s going to teach me how to truly live in it.’”

He added, “I’d always associated cancer with age and with unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles. But I was in amazing cardiovascular shape. I tried to eat healthy — or as far as I knew it at the time.”

Van Der Beek said that his cancer was discovered following a colonoscopy procedure.

“I felt really good coming out of anesthesia, that I’d finally done it,” he recalled to People. “Then the gastroenterologist said, in his most pleasant bedside manner, that it was cancer. I think I went into shock.”

James is now leaning on his inner circle for support, including his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, and their six children: Olivia, 14, Joshua, 12, Annabel,10, Emilia, 8, Gwen, 6, and Jeremiah, 3.

James, who has also been candid about Kimberly’s multiple pregnancy losses, underwent a vasectomy shortly after Jeremiah’s birth.

“I figured the only way we’re going to stop this is if we have some medical intervention,” he joked to People earlier this month. “I said, ‘Listen, guys, you know Daddy has some surgery on his private parts, so just be really careful when you run up to me not to bump into anything.’”