EXCLUSIVE: 'Dawson's Creek' Duo Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson Bonding Over James Van Der Beek's Cancer Death
Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson have bonded over James Van Der Beek's cancer death.
March 13 2026, Published 7:30 a.m. ET
Crushed Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson are devastated by the death of fellow Dawson's Creek castmate James Van Der Beek, and the friendly exes are leaning on each other for support and vowing to maintain their fallen friend's legacy, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Holmes and Jackson, both 47, starred in the WB teen drama – which aired from 1998 to 2003 – alongside Van Der Beek, who succumbed to colorectal cancer at age 48 on Feb. 11.
The passing of the Varsity Blues hunk was announced by his widow, Kimberly, and came 15 months after he publicly revealed his stage 3 diagnosis.
Friends Devastated by Van Der Beek
Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson are mourning 'Dawson's Creek' costar James Van Der Beek, whose death from colorectal cancer was announced by his widow, Kimberly.
An insider said of Holmes and Jackson: "Neither of them wants to accept this. James was just the greatest guy. It's a huge loss – and not just for them. They are devastated for his six kids and his wife.
"He fought so hard to stick around for them, and for a long time, it seemed like he was going to beat this. So to have him not make it is very hard to take."
Kimberly and Van Der Beek married in 2010 in Tel Aviv, Israel, after a whirlwind romance, and five years ago, they left California and settled in Texas, where they'd been raising their family.
Holmes Plans Tribute for James
Kimberly revealed the passing of Van Der Beek, as former castmates Holmes and Jackson grieve the loss.
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Jackson stars in Holmes' new film trilogy Happy Hours, and the two have remained close over the years, sources said.
The insider said: "They already talk all the time, so it's natural they are helping support each other through this.
"Katie is a very proactive person, so she wants to arrange something that she and Josh and the rest of the cast can contribute to – a video memorial sort of thing – with all their favorite James memories.
"That way his kids can have that. She will spearhead it, but Josh is all in."
