James Van Der Beek Celebrates Daughter Olivia Turning 15, Echoing Dawson's Creek Pilot Age

James Van Der Beek celebrated his eldest daughter's 15th birthday on Thursday, noting that Olivia is the same age as his Dawson Leery character was in the pilot of Dawson's Creek. "My oldest turned 15 today," the actor wrote on Instagram. "Same age that Dawson was in the pilot."

The 48-year-old, who is battling colorectal cancer, posted footage of Olivia taking center stage at Monday's Dawson's Creek reunion in New York City, an event he was gutted to miss. "To watch you stand there in that red dress, so confident … amidst all those people I’ve known so long and cherish so deeply… I’m just left in awe," he captioned the clip featuring Olivia — and her 9-year-old sister Emilia — singing the series' theme song, Paula Cole's "I Don't Wanna Wait." He added, "I’ve always joked that you came out ‘parent proof.’"

Olivia's moment at the reunion came as fans also watched the cast raise funds for Van Der Beek's cancer treatment and for the F Cancer organization. Van Der Beek had previously said he would miss the event due to "two stomach viruses," but he did send a surprise video message to fans. Lin-Manuel Miranda stepped in to read the first Dawson's Creek episode in his stead, joining Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Michelle Williams, Busy Philipps and others. Philipps, 46, tearfully shared in an Instagram Story that she was moved by Olivia and Emilia's performance, calling Van Der Beek's absence "heartbreaking."

Van Der Beek and his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, share six children: Olivia, Emilia, Joshua, Annabel, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah. The couple, who have been married since August 2010, moved from Los Angeles to Texas in 2020. Van Der Beek publicly disclosed his colorectal cancer diagnosis in August 2023 and speaking with People in November the following year said he was feeling "cautiously optimistic" and would let fans know when he was "out of the woods completely for what feels like a responsible amount of time." Monday’s reunion raised funds for his treatment and for the F Cancer foundation.

On social media, Van Der Beek urged his daughter to "keep dreaming big" and to embrace imperfection, adding that while only she will know exactly who her most authentic self will be, he is confident she will love the person she becomes. Olivia's stage moment, paired with her father's full-circle birthday milestone, underscored a family narrative that threads pop culture nostalgia with a real-life health struggle.