James Van Der Beek Said Birth of Son Jeremiah Completed His Family, Called Him a 'Blessing' (Exclusive)
James Van Der Beek Said Birth of Son Jeremiah Completed His Family, Called Him a 'Blessing' (Exclusive)
Hannah Sacks, Angela AndaloroFri, February 13, 2026 at 11:43 PM UTC
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James Van Der Beek and family
James Van Der Beek/Instagram
James Van Der Beek said his family was complete after welcoming his youngest son Jeremiah
The actor spoke with PEOPLE in November 2022 and said that the arrival of his youngest anchored his family in a "really beautiful way"
Van Der Beek died on Wednesday, Feb. 11, following a journey with stage 3 colorectal cancer
James Van Der Beek felt that his family was complete after the birth of his youngest son.
In an interview with PEOPLE in November 2022, the Dawson's Creek star spoke about welcoming his son Jeremiah, now 4, and shared that his birth completed his family of eight.
Van Der Beek, who died at 48 on Wednesday, Feb. 11, following a journey with stage 3 colorectal cancer, shared six kids with his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek, 44 – daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 9, and Gwendolyn, 7, and sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah.
"I mean, this is going to sound weird, but when he arrived, we honestly just thought, 'Oh my god, how did we exist without him?' Which is insane because we had five children before that," Van Der Beek said at the time. "But given everything we went through leading up to him, the fact that he was a boy just felt so healing for us."
"He anchors the family in a really beautiful way. The girls all dote on him. My son as a brother. And yeah, it's just magical happy little king booty boy that gets everything he wants," he continued. "And is not afraid to demand it."
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"And you know, everything really is bigger in Texas," said the proud dad. "He's by the far the biggest baby we've ever made by a long shot."
Van Der Beek said he's glad his son was the last one in his family since he was so "chunky."
"He's really been a blessing," added Van Der Beek. "He's just well worth it."
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On Wednesday, Feb. 11, Kimberly announced the news of her husband's death Instagram.
"Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning," Kimberly wrote. "He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend."
The actor first shared his cancer diagnosis exclusively with PEOPLE in November 2024, saying he was focusing on his health and family.
"I have colorectal cancer,” he revealed. “I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family.”
“There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good," he added.
During his 2024 cover interview with PEOPLE, Van Der Beek said that he felt like he won the lottery being a parent to his kids.
"I really don't think of myself as having any ownership over any of my children," he said at the time. "I just feel like we won the great cosmic lottery that these souls chose to have us as their parents and are asking us to raise them."
"And I just feel so lucky as they reveal to us who they are, stage by stage, bit by bit. So I'm not a big, like, 'Oh, they got that from me' person ever. Even the physical resemblance, which is pretty undeniable."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
