James Van Der Beek, who got his start on The WB drama Dawson’s Creek, has announced he’s been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

The actor revealed his diagnosis in a new interview with People. “I have colorectal cancer. I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” he said.

But he appears to be confident about his treatment, adding, “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.”

Van Der Beek announced in a social media post later on that he was forced to break the news earlier than anticipated because he learned a tabloid was going to run the news.

“Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I’m one of them,” he wrote in a post on Instagram.

He continued, “There’s no playbook for how announce these things, but I’d planned on talking about it at length with People magazine at some point soon… to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms. But that plan had to be altered early this morning when I was informed that a tabloid was going to run with the news.”

The actor maintained that he is “in a good place and feeling strong.”

He also apologized to his loved ones, noting that he planned to tell them himself. “Nothing about this process has occurred on my preferred timeline…,” he wrote.

Van Der Beek did not share further details about his diagnosis, but he is set to appear in the upcoming health special, The Real Full Monty, which will feature celebrities stripping down to raise awareness for prostate, testicular and colorectal cancer testing and research.

Executive produced by Anthony Anderson, The Real Full Monty will feature Taye Diggs, Tyler Posey, Chris Jones and Bruno Tonioli.

It also looks like Van Der Beek has no plans on slowing down his acting career just yet. He recently appeared in an episode of Walker and will be starring in the Tubi romcom Sidelined The QB and Me.

The Real Full Monty premieres on Fox Dec. 9.