Dawson’s Creek reunion to support James Van Der Beek as cast recalls Mary-Margaret Humes’ private cancer battle

James Van Der Beek, the Dawson’s Creek alumnus and father of six, has been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer, his former TV family said Monday. In a show of solidarity, the cast will reunite next Monday for a live reading of the 1998 pilot, at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in Midtown Manhattan. The Dawson’s Creek Class Reunion benefits James and the non-profit F*** Cancer and is being billed as both a celebration of the show’s legacy and a platform to raise awareness about the importance of early cancer detection. The ensemble includes Humes, Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, Joshua Jackson, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe, and Busy Philipps, all set to perform the pilot live for attendees. Tickets sold out in about 12 minutes after they went on sale, underscoring the enduring fan interest in the show and its cast.

Mary-Margaret Humes privately battled colon cancer in 2007, the process of which she says was a near-miss that she “dodged,” thanks to early detection. When she first learned that Van Der Beek was facing colorectal cancer, she told Us Weekly that the news resonated with her own experience and reinforced the message she has long shared with fans: cancers are survivable when detected early. “It was just about ready to break out of the wall,” Humes said of her own diagnosis. “It could've been a terrible situation, but we caught it in time. My doctor said we dodged a bullet, and it was all because of early detection. Cancers are survivable, but go out and get screened — thankfully, that's part of James' journey.”

The reunion plan emerged from a phone call James made to Humes, who described the ensemble as a TV family coming together to rally around him during a very difficult period. “The first phone call I got was from James himself,” she recalled. “He told me that Michelle was spearheading this, and it was a way for us to actually have a reunion, all of us together, and celebrate James' life. Because he's dealing with a very difficult situation; very optimistic, but a difficult situation. Together as a TV family, we just thought we needed to be there for him and rally around him.”

Humes’s on-screen history with the show extends beyond her role as Gale Leery, Dawson’s sometimes controversial restaurateur mom. She was known on set as the “den mother,” a label she says reflected how the cast gelled as a family. “Everybody just gelled as a family and came together. There were no ego problems — there were tense moments behind the scenes from time to time, but that will remain a mystery!” she said. The cast’s reunion coincides with a broader return to the Dawson’s Creek universe, underscoring how the series left a lasting imprint on fans while highlighting the real-life health journeys of its stars.

In addition to the reunion, Humes is set to participate in a TV-moms-themed episode of Fox’s game show Celebrity Weakest Link, which is slated to air next Monday and will feature Melinda Clarke, Caroline Rhea, and Jackée Harry. The project reflects Humes’s ongoing presence in pop culture beyond Dawson’s Creek and her history in entertainment that began with early pageant success and a long-spanning acting career. Earlier in her career, Humes earned the Miss Florida USA 1975 crown before her screen debut as Miriam in Mel Brooks’s History of the World, Part I, a role that helped launch a varied and enduring career in film and television.

The upcoming reunion and related appearances are framed as a broader effort to spotlight the value of early detection and access to supportive communities for anyone facing cancer. As the cast reconnects for this purpose, fans are reminded of the personal and public dimensions of health journeys, and of the way a beloved television family can come together to stand behind one of their own during a challenging time.