As Dawson’s Creek star Busy Philipps reveals she was diagnosed with a brain tumour just one day after co-star James Van Der Beek died from bowel cancer, The Mirror explores the rocky roads of the cast since leaving Capeside…
The cast of Dawson’s Creek have been hit by numerous heartbreaks since filming wrapped(Image: Getty Images)
Their lives on Dawson’s Creek were awash with angst and agony, and off-screen, the cast have battled some incredibly tough times too.
Back in the glory days of Channel 4’s T4, the emotionally-charged show was essential viewing for hungover students and emotional teens across the country.
The storylines were big – did Joey want to be with Dawson or Pacey? And the show didn’t shy away from hard-hitting subjects, exploring sexuality, sexual abuse at the hands of a teacher and the tragic death of Jen Lindley, played by Michelle Williams, from a heart condition in the final series.
After six series of soul-searching and deep and meaningfuls beyond their teenage years, the rest of the crew got their happy ever afters. Dawson Leery, played by James Van der Beek, became a Hollywood director and got to work with his hero, Steven Speilberg.
Joey and Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson) shacked up in a swanky New York apartment, working as a publisher and a chef respectively.
Meanwhile, Jen’s little girl was adopted by her best friend Jack McPhee and his partner, Doug Witter, Pacey’s older brother. But what became of the stars of the show? From bowel cancer to brain tumours, Scientology and suicide, a lot has happened since the cameras left Capeside…
James Van Der Beek (Dawson Leery)
As the star of the show – and the character behind its name – big things were expected from James, 44, when filming wrapped in 2003.
He had already dipped a toe into the world of Hollywood, appearing in blockbusters like Varsity Blues and The Rules of Attraction before it was time to put down Dawson’s camera for good.
James was ranked as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world by People Magazine and had a full workload of A-list films including Texas Rangers, Scary Movie and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
In 2006, he appeared on stage in off-Broadway productions. Several recurring TV roles followed, included a part in the hit US show, Ugly Betty, and the long-running sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, and he even played a serial killer in Criminal Minds.
In 2010, he played a make-believe version of himself in the TV series, Don’t Trust the B**** in Apartment 23, which he earned rave reviews for. He also turned his hand to reality TV, competing in Dancing With The Stars and finishing fifth.
James was married twice, first to actress Heather McComb and then to business consultant Kimberly Brook, who he tied the knot with 10 years ago. The couple have five children but Kimberly tragically suffered a miscarriage with their sixth baby in November 2019.
They quit Los Angeles for a new life on a ranch in Texas, but James shocked fans when he revealed he has been diagnosed with bowel cancer in August 2023.
He died in February 2026 at the age of 48. In a hand-written statement posted on Instagram, Katie Holmes remembered her on-screen boyfriend for his “bravery, compassion, selflessness and strength”, as well as the actor’s “appreciation for life”.
Co-star Busy Philipps wrote: “James Van Der Beek was one in a billion and he will be forever missed and I don’t know what else to say. I am just so so sad.”
Katie Holmes (Joey Potter)
As the sassy but sweet girl next door, Joey Potter wrestled with her attraction to both Dawson and Pacey. And the actress’ off-screen love life proved to be equally dramatic, largely due to her ill-fated marriage to Hollywood megastar, Tom Cruise.
Katie, now 47, enjoyed a whirlwind romance with Tom, with few able to forget Cruise’s bizarre appearance on Oprah Winfrey’s show, where he jumped on the sofa while talking about Katie.
They were engaged after just seven weeks and their only daughter, Suri, now 20, was born on their first anniversary. Katie and Tom, who were dubbed TomKat, married in a lavish Italian ceremony in 2006, with Katie rumoured to have stood in a hole in her wedding pictures to avoid towering over her husband.
Just six years later, she reportedly blindsided her Scientologist husband by filling for divorce. Katie has never spoken publicly about her marriage but won sole custody of Suri, raising her in New York.
Suri has since dropped her father’s surname, and is known as Suri Noelle – her mother’s middle name. She recently made her acting debut at the Edinburgh Film Festival and is believed to be completely estranged from Tom.
Meanwhile, Katie went on the date actor Jamie Foxx, chef Emilio Vitolo, Jr and current boyfriend, artist Jason Bard Yarmosky.
Michelle Williams (Jen Lindley)
Michelle, who played wild child Jen, has arguably gone on to have the most success out of the Dawson’s Creek cast. She has been nominated for four Oscars and won two Golden Globes for her roles in often dark and gritty films.
Her breakthrough role came as Heath Ledger’s wife in Brokeback Mountain- the tragic story of a gay man hiding his true feelings for his friend. It would be her first Oscar nomination and introduce her to her future partner, Heath. The couple went on to have daughter, Matilda, but broke up in 2007.
She was shattered by Heath’s death from an accidental overdose of prescription medication aged just 28 the following year. When it came to selling the home they’d once shared in 2014, she was heartbroken. “At that time, I was inconsolable, because I felt, ‘How will he be able to find us? This is where we lived and he won’t know where we are,'” she told WSJ Magazine in 2017.
Michelle, 45, dated actor Jason Segel in 2012 and was briefly married to musician Phil Elverum from 2018 to 2019. She now has three children with her theatre director husband Thomas Kail.
Meanwhile, her career has also gone from strength to strength with roles in My Week With Marilyn, Shutter Island, Oz the Great and Powerful, Venom and The Greatest Showman.
She has returned to TV just once since her time in Dawson’s Creek to play Gwen Verdon in the series Fosse/Verdon, where she was also an executive producer.
Joshua Jackson (Pacey Witter)
As Dawson’s best friend, and then bitter enemy when he fell in love with Joey, Pacey stole teenage girls hearts around the world. Joshua was no stranger to fame when he joined the Dawson’s Creek cast, having already been in The Might Ducks film series.
And he appeared in Cruel Intentions while he was playing Pacey before a raft of film roles with some of the biggest names in Hollywood followed.
Joshua, 48, starred opposite Dennis Hopper in Americano, Harvey Keitel in Shadows In The Sun and Donald Sutherland in Aurora Borealis.
After dating Dawson’s Creek co-star Katie Holmes during the first two seasons of the show, he started a relationship with fellow actress Diane Kruger in 2006.
The couple were together for 10 years before calling it a day. Joshua then began dating British actress Jodie Turner-Smith and the couple married in December 2019, and welcomed their daughter Janie in 2020. However Jodie filed for divorce in 2023 citing ‘irreconcilable difference.’
Tongues recently started wagging about his friendship with old pal Katie after they reunited on screen in Katie’s film, Happy Hours, earlier this year. However, he was spotted holding hands with model Olivia Burgess in June, putting those rumours to rest.
Despite playing 16-year-old Jack in Dawson’s Creek, Kerr was actually 26 when he joined the cast. Jack’s coming out scenes influenced a generation of struggling teenagers.
And since the show ended, Kerr, 54, has rarely been off screen, starring in Final Destination, Riverdale, Criminal Minds, NCIS and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
But these days, rather than roles on TV and film, Kerr is more focused on the wellness business he runs with his second wife, Lisa.
TerraLife Wellness is a holistic health and wellness company that describes itself as practising “preventative, holistic approach to guiding people on their personal journey to mental, physical and spiritual growth, while creating balance in all areas of life”.
Busy didn’t appear as Audrey in Dawson’s Creek until the gang all relocated to college but soon became a fan favourite.
She dated Pacey and was firm friends with Joey for the remaining two seasons of the show.
Busy, 47, went on to star in another long-running TV show, ER, and appear in films likeMade of Honour, He’s Just Not That Into You and I Feel Pretty.
Along with acting, Busy also launched her own talk show, Busy Tonight, which was cancelled after one series, and has written her memoir, This Will Only Hurt A Little.
Today, Busy revealed that she was diagnosed with a brain tumour earlier this year. The star was diagnosed in February and joked that she asked her neurosurgeon how long her recovery would take and if he could give her a brow lift at the time. “He laughed, and he told me no. I was like ‘You should start to think about offering that,'” she said.
Busy was ultimately diagnosed with grade 2 oligodendroglioma, a rare and slow-growing malignant brain tumour, and underwent two surgeries in early March, just weeks before she began filming her new CBS series Cupertino. Speaking to PEOPLE, she added: “I’m grateful that I’m alive, [it was] the weirdest six months of my life.”
The tumour was found when she underwent a full-body health scan just one day after James Van Der Beek’s death, and she thought about cancelling it before her ex-husband Marc Silverstein told her to “do it for your friend.”
Busy added: “The texts to my ex-husband are comical. While I was on the phone with Dr. Donlan, I texted Marc, ‘OMG I have a brain tumour.’ And he wrote back, ‘Busy, what? What are you saying? What are you talking about?’ I was like, ‘It looks fine. It’s probably benign. I don’t know.”
After successfully having the tumour removed, Busy learned she would not need chemotherapy or radiotherapy, but will have regular scans to check for recurrence.
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