Van Der Beek.
Photo: JC Oliversa/Variety via Getty Images

James Van Der Beek is auctioning off merchandise from his time on Dawson’s Creek in order to pay for his cancer treatment. All of the proceeds from the auction will go toward Van Der Beek’s treatment. The items up for sale include both wardrobe and props from the show. There is a sweater and shirt that he wore in the pilot and the necklace that Dawson gave Joey (Katie Holmes) in “The Anti-Prom.” There’s also Dawson’s Spielberg-themed room décor, with an E.T. plushie and an Indiana Jones poster available as a bundle. Outside of Dawson’s Creek, Van Der Beek also included his cleats and a hat that he wore in the 1999 film Varsity Blues.

The auction will be held December 5–7 as part of Propstore’s Entertainment Live Auction. “I’ve been storing these treasures for years, waiting for the right time to do something with them, and with all of the recent unexpected twists and turns life has presented recently, it’s clear that the time is now,” Van Der Beek told People. “While I have some nostalgia tugging at me as I part with these items, it feels good to be able to offer them through Propstore’s auction to share with those who have supported my work over the years.”

Van Der Beek was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2024. “There’s no playbook for how to announce these things, but I’d planned on talking about it at length with People magazine at some point soon … to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms,” he wrote on Instagram when he told the world about his diagnosis on November 3 of that year. “But that plan had to be altered early this morning when I was informed that a tabloid was going to run with the news.” Van Der Beek missed a staged reading of the Dawson’s Creek pilot episode to raise funds for his treatment this September, due to stomach viruses. He was replaced by Lin-Manuel Miranda. “I can’t believe I don’t get to hug my castmates, my beautiful cast, in person, and I just wanted to stand on that stage and thank every single person in this theater for being here tonight,” he said in a video message prior to the reading. “From the cast to the crew to everybody who donated their time and has been so generous. And especially every single last one of you. You’re the best fans in the world. Thank you for coming.”

Related