James Van Der Beek’s Planned ‘Dawson’s Creek’ Rewatch Podcast Scrapped, SiriusXM Demands Actor's $700k Lawsuit Be Tossed
Sep. 30 2022, Published 4:51 p.m. ET
James Van Der Beek was close to signing a lucrative deal with SiriusXM to host a weekly Dawson’s Creek rewatch podcast — before negotiations fell apart, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, lawyers representing SiriusXM have demanded the suit brought by the ‘90s star be thrown out of court.
Back in August, Van Der Beek sued SiriusXM for breach of contract in Los Angeles Superior Court. The actor said he reached a deal with the company to host 40 podcast episodes but they “reneged on the agreement.”
In the lawsuit, the actor, 45, said he worked out a deal with SiriusXM execs where he would be paid a minimum of $700,000 along with 50% of the net ad revenue.
He said Sirius committed to a $153k production budget along with $50k for marketing. Those costs were to be recouped by the company with ad sales.
Van Der Beek said SiriusXM backed out of the deal in July — despite emails with the company saying they were “ready to call terms officially closed.”
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The actor accused the company of “reneging” on the deal. Van Der Beek said this was specifically upsetting because he had “stopped negotiating with other buyers and affirmatively rejected those other offers” and instead agreed to work with SiriusXM.
“The agreed-upon deal even provided [SiriusXM] with a first look so that [Van Der Beek] could not work on any other podcasts. Yet, after the project was green lit and several subsequent actions had been taken by [SiriusXM] to set the podcast up, Sirius and Stitcher reneged on the agreement and told [Van Der Beek] that they would not perform,” the suit read.
Van Der Beek lawsuit demanded in excess of $700,000 in damages.
Now, SiriusXM has responded to the claims. It said California law is “crystal clear” when it comes to enforceable contracts.
The company said it does not have a written contract with Van Der Beek. Further, it claimed that execs from the company “repeatedly informed [Van Der Beek] that neither of the parties would be bound until a definitive agreement was executed by the parties.”
The lawyer added, “Van Der Beek is wasting this Court’s time with his flagrant disregard of the facts and settled, black letter California contract law. This action is completely meritless and a waste of judicial resources.”
SiriusXM labeled Van Der Beek as a “former teen heartthrob, best known for his starring role in the '90s television series Dawson’s Creek.
The company admitted they began discussions with Van Der Beek in late 2021 for him to host a Dawson’s Creek rewatch.
SiriusXM said it “repeatedly stated to Van Der Beek that neither of the parties to the discussions would be bound until a definitive agreement was executed by the parties.”
The company said they decided to pull the project — before signing any deals — due to a variety of creative and business reasons.
It said when Van Der Beek was informed he “lashed out and falsely claimed the parties had entered into an agreement and filed the current lawsuit.”
The company wants the suit tossed immediately. A judge has yet to rule.