“Your Journey Is Counted”: James Van Der Beek’s talk with his kids

July 31, 2025: Eight months after telling everyone he had stage 3 colon cancer, actor James Van Der Beek is now talking about how hard it is to talk about his health journey with his six kids. On Wednesday’s episode of the Today show, the 48-year-old actor talked about how he talks to his kids—daughters Olivia, 14, Annabel, 11, Emilia, 9, and Gwendolyn, 6, and sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, 2—by being as honest as possible and making sure they understand what he’s saying. He stressed that kids are smart and can tell when a parent is having a hard time, so not telling them the truth can often make things worse for them.

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Van Der Beek tells other parents in the same situation to let their kids show how strong they are. “They know if Dad’s hurt,” he remarked. “When you tell them what you’re doing and how you’re going to do it, they can see and feel it.” He said that this openness has created a sense of shared duty and care in his family, and that his kids are actively watching out for him. “My kids are making me tea.” “Hey Dad, what do you need?” he said.

He also thought about the surprising “beauty” that has come out of this hard time. He said having cancer is like a “full-time job” with a lot of unknowns, but he is “feeling great” right now. Van Der Beek told PEOPLE in November how thankful he was for the support of his wife, Kimberly, and their kids. He said, “I’ve got a lot to live for, and it’s a beautiful life.”

Van Der Beek’s honesty about this very personal issue is also a public service notice since he tells others to get checked for colon cancer. He has been a supporter of early detection and has worked with Guardant Health to promote their Shield blood test as a way to screen people. His personal diagnosis, even though he lives a healthy and busy life, shows how important it is to follow the recommended screening recommendations, which now start at age 45.