It’s apparently been quite a week in the Van Der Beek household. When James Van Der Beek was unable to join Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes and other cast members for a Dawson’s Creek reunion due to illness, his family showed up on his behalf, with his oldest daughter giving a small solo performance. Days later her proud dad penned an emotional tribute to Olivia on her birthday, and if this doesn’t call for his viral Dawson’s Creek crying meme, I don’t know what does.
Olivia is the oldest of six children James Van Der Beek shares with wife Kimberly, and the man known for playing Dawson Leery for six seasons on the WB took to Instagram to praise her performance at the Dawson’s Creek reunion and acknowledge her personal milestone. Olivia turned 15, which is quite meaningful to her dad — it’s how old Van Der Beek’s character was in the Dawson’s Creek pilot. James wrote:
My oldest turned 15 today. Same age that Dawson was in the pilot. To watch you stand there in that red dress, so confidently taking center stage amidst all those people I’ve known so long and cherish so deeply… I’m just left in awe.
James Van Der Beek had expressed regret over not being able to attend the reunion; he revealed in November 2024 he’s battling Stage 3 colorectal cancer and this week had come down with two stomach viruses.
However, Kimberly Van Der Beek was there with all six of their brood — Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 11, Emilia, 9, Gwendolyn, 6, and Jeremiah, 2. As mentioned in James’ lengthy birthday post, Olivia took center stage for a solo, as the cast sang Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want to Wait,” which served as the show’s iconic theme song.
James Van Der Beek’s post continued, relaying a story about how proud he was of her, even when she wasn’t perfect (don’t worry, Olivia — Dawson was far from perfect himself), encouraging her to keep being her authentic self. In his words:
Keep taking big swings, kiddo. Risk imperfection. Keep dreaming big and most importantly, be true to who you are. Because, while only YOU will know exactly who your most authentic self will be, as someone who’s known you your whole life… I can guarantee you’re going to love her. Happy birthday kiddo. I love you ❤️
I’m just gonna grab a tissue real quick, if you want to take a look at James Van Der Beek’s full post and Olivia’s amazing performance alongside sister Emilia:
Fans at the were undoubtedly disappointed James Van Der Beek couldn’t join the reunion — which was a charity event to raise money for F Cancer and to honor the actor — and participate in a live reading of the pilot’s script, but I think getting his reaction to his daughter in this moment really kind of makes up for it.
If you want to relive the best Dawson’s Creek episodes, all six seasons can be streamed with a Hulu subscription.
