James Van Der Beek, who announced in November 2024 that he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, has his loving wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, by his side.
The Dawson’s Creek alum was previously married to actress Heather McComb from 2003 until their separation in April 2009. After their divorce, he tied the knot with Kimberly, who has been a constant support system for the actor.
Under James’ November 3, 2024, Instagram post revealing his cancer diagnosis, Kimberly simply wrote, “I love you baby.”
How Did James Van Der Beek and Kimberly Van Der Beek Meet?
In celebration of their 10th wedding anniversary, the Varsity Blues actor told Instagram followers how he met his wife.
After James’ split from first wife Heather, he was on a trip to Israel with an organized group. “I was done being single,” he said. “I wanted a real relationship. A soul mate. Someone with whom I could build a family. I was mid-revelation, rattling all this off to a friend of mine when a voice interrupted us, wanting to ask him a question. I was annoyed. Who the hell was stepping all over my moment? I turned around… it was @vanderkimberly.”
About six months later, the two were already living together, and two weeks after that, they were expecting their first baby together, daughter Olivia.
He added, “Almost exactly one year to the date after she’d first interrupted me (on the spot where we’re standing in the last pic)… we were married.”
When Were James Van Der Beek and Kimberly Van Der Beek Married?
James and Kimberly were married on August 1, 2010, in Tel Aviv, Israel. The actor reportedly announced the news on X (formerly Twitter) with a since-deleted post that read, “The woman I love did me the honor of became my wife today. I look forward to earning her for the rest of my life.”
What Does Kimberly Van Der Beek Do?
According to her IMDB page, Kimberly was an associate producer on the Adrian Grenier-directed documentary Teenage Paparazzo, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2010. She has also cohosted the “Bathroom Chronicles” podcast, which launched in January 2023, alongside Peggy Rometo.
How Many Kids Do James Van Der Beek and Kimberly Van Der Beek Have?
Kimberly and James are parents to six children together; they have four daughters and two sons.
Their first child, daughter Olivia, was born on September 25, 2010, and about a year and a half later, they welcomed son Joshua on March 13, 2012. Their daughter Annabel Leah was born on January 25, 2014, with daughter Emilia joining the family on March 23, 2016, and daughter Gwendolyn being born on June 15, 2018. Their sixth child, son Jeremiah, was born on October 10, 2021.
Prior to the birth of their sixth child, Kimberly opened up about enduring multiple pregnancy losses.
“I’ve had three miscarriages, all around 10 weeks gestation,” she revealed, via the World Health Organization (WHO). “I let them all happen naturally. I had a loving husband, a compassionate birthing team and I felt spiritually grounded about them. And even in the best of circumstances, they all broke my heart. I was devastated every single time. After one of them I sat in the shower crying for almost five hours. Thankfully I am fully at peace with them all now and have five children.”
She continued, “What I find disheartening is that not all women, or fathers for that matter, are treated with the same compassion or have support during this gut wrenching time. Not all women are given options or information on how to handle them.”
“The stigma and trauma result in a lack of conversation about miscarriages and people are often left feeling alone, confused, and worst of all — to blame. I don’t know how to help other than share my story in hopes that it spreads compassion, awareness and an evolution in the way we care for miscarriages and stillbirths. A knowing that, in the best of circumstances, it can still be hard,” she added. “I hope it creates more conversations spiritually. I for one have found so much insight by reading Spirit Babies. And furthermore, I hope that we remember to be there for the men that may also be grieving.”
