James Van Der Beek surprised attendees at a Dawson’s Creek reunion with a touching video message after the actor was forced to drop out of the charity event due to a stomach virus.

During his surprise appearance, Van Der Beek thanked his former cast mates and the fans for attending the live reading of the Dawson’s Creek pilot episode to raise money for F Cancer.

“I have been looking forward to this night for months and months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together,” Van Der Beek said. “I can’t believe I’m not there. I can’t believe I don’t get to see my cast mates, my beautiful cast in person.”

The actor, who announced that he had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2024, expressed gratitude for his “generous” fans and cast mates.

“I want to stand on that stage and thank every single person in the theater for being here tonight,” he continued. “From the cast to the crew to everybody who’s doing anything and has been so generous, and especially every single last one of you – you are the best fans in the world.”

“It’s just absolutely humbling just how much you did for this night, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you to every single person here,” he said, before introducing his understudy for the evening, Lin-Manuel Miranda. “And, obviously, on Dawson’s Creek, I had no understudy, but this is Broadway, and I needed one. So we figured we’d try to find somebody who had never understudied in this theater before.”

Van Der Beek had announced just the night before that he would no longer be able to attend the charity event contracting “two stomach viruses.”

“Despite every effort… I won’t get to be there,” Van Der Beek wrote. “I won’t get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most.

The rest of the Dawson’s Creek cast were in attendance, including Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes and Busy Philipps.

On social media, Van Der Beek lamented not being able to attend the live reading in New York City, but encouraged fans to enjoy the one-night-only event.

“Everyone please enjoy all the love in that room. Shine some on my family. I will be beaming and receiving from afar in a bed in Austin,” he wrote.