James Van Der Beek Reveals Major Family Decision Amid Cancer Diagnosis

Following James Van Der Beek’s cancer diagnosis, he’s revealing another major family update. The Dawson’s Creek alum shared in a PEOPLE interview on Nov. 3 that he has colorectal cancer but that he was “very cautiously optimistic.” Before his diagnosis in 2023, however, he made a big family decision and underwent a medical procedure. In a new interview with PEOPLE, the actor admitted he had a vasectomy.

Van Der Beek shares six kids with wife Kimberly, and suffered a pair of miscarriages before welcoming their sixth and final child. “Well, we love having kids, but we didn’t really plan it out,” Kimberly, 42, said of their big family. “It just happened. We had one planned child.” The Varsity Blues actor added, “One! Out of six. One was 100% on purpose. The one thing we really sucked at was not getting pregnant. But thank God, honestly, because it’s such a struggle for people, and we really don’t take it for granted. I joke, and I laugh, but like, yeah, we really just kind of got lucky that way.”

“I figured the only way we’re going to stop this is if we have some medical intervention,” Van Der Beek jokingly shared. He recalled telling his kids to be gentle with him following the procedure and what his youngest daughter, Gwen, said to him. “I said listen, guys, you know Daddy has some surgery on his private parts, so just be really careful when you run up to me not to bump into anything. And my youngest daughter looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘Daddy, I hope your vagina feels better.’ “

James Van Der Beek and Kimberly Brook, a business consultant, tied the knot in 2010. They have four daughters, born in 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2018, and two sons, born in 2012 and 2021. The couple have been open about suffering miscarriages in the past, with Van Der Beek revealing in 2021 that Kimberly had suffered two at 17 weeks or later. While the family won’t be getting any bigger, it seems like six is the magic number for them, and Van Der Beek has quite the support system as he’s dealing with his cancer. Plus, being an actor and constantly working could not have been easy, but he always seemed to make enough time for his family.