James Van Der Beek surprised fans with a cameo at the Dawson's Creek Reunion in NYC, despite health issues preventing his attendance. In a pre-recorded video, he introduced Lin Manuel Miranda as his replacement and expressed disappointment at missing the event organized by Michelle Williams. Van Der Beek thanked fans for their support and humorously referred to Miranda as his understudy. The actor's absence was due to stomach viruses, and he previously revealed a battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer. Van Der Beek is married with six children.
