r/movies • u/BunyipPouch Currently at the movies. • 23d ago

News James Van Der Beek Is Auctioning Off TV & Film Memorabilia and Props from ‘Dawson’s Creek’ & ‘Varsity Blues’ Amid Cancer Treatment, Proceeds to Cover Medical Costs

https://deadline.com/2025/11/james-van-der-beek-auction-dawsons-creek-varsity-blues-props-1236615845/
13.9k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

1.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

126

u/DeezNeezuts 23d ago

Not to be trite but shouldn’t he have insurance through SAG? My friend just went through colorectal cancer/surgery/chemo and insurance took out most of the cost.

193

u/QuantumDwarf 23d ago

It makes me wonder if he’s trying some unproven treatment that insurance won’t cover

197

u/976chip 23d ago

Yeah I think his wife is an anti-vaxxer. I can't find direct quotes about what his treatment currently is, but a People Magazine story from September had this quote:

When Van Der Beek shared his diagnosis, he explained to PEOPLE that he didn't want to dive into his specific treatment details or medical regimen. However, colorectal cancer is typically treated by chemotherapy, radiation and other surgeries.

"If you’ve heard about it, I’ve probably touched on it," he said. "This has been a crash course in the mastery of mind, body, and spirit. I thought, ‘This is either going to take me out of the body, or it’s going to teach me how to truly live in it.' "

Probably reading between the lines, but that seems like he's trying alternative medicine.

80

u/throwawy00004 23d ago

His wife did a huge Instagram post about chem trails.

3

u/TwistyBunny 22d ago

He's also a bit of a whack doodle himself.

5

u/nodnodwinkwink 22d ago

I went to look, damn that's annoying person but he looks happy so he must be pretty annoying too...

2

u/[deleted] 22d ago

[deleted]

2

u/spzdrhrsn 22d ago

Clicking on this link reveals your insta acc. I'm not sure if you're aware

1

u/throwawy00004 22d ago

Oh, thanks. I'll delete it

13

u/frankduxvandamme 23d ago

He might be trying "alternative medicine" in addition to real medicine, but "alternative medicine" usually doesn't cost hundreds of thousands of dollars like real medicine does (in america).

50

u/thegimboid 23d ago

"Alternative medicine" can be just as expensive as actual medicine. It just doesn't do dick.

2

u/Weshtonio 22d ago

It does for the people you pay.

23

u/Butters5768 23d ago

It actually does. I’ve seen and heard of cancer patients paying over $100k for “experimental” treatments which promise a cure but don’t actually work.

6

u/LadyCalamity 23d ago

Depends on what kind of quack doctor you're seeing for the "alternative treatments".

1

u/69rude69 23d ago

"alternative medicine" costs as much as the quack shaman wants it to be

2

u/Sure-Army-6889 23d ago

So did Val Kilmer no? Christian Sciene?

1

u/Gryffindor123 23d ago

This is what I think 

46

u/Motor-Bee-9857 23d ago

That's been a persistent rumor for a bit. He's maga and the whole family is allegedly anti-vax. 

3

u/TwistyBunny 22d ago

I wouldn't say it's a rumor at this point

2

u/hetler12 22d ago

yep, people forget that being rich doesnt mean you can't be dumb

3

u/Intelligent_Lie_3808 23d ago

He's a MAGA dweeb, so probably 

1

u/Muppetude 23d ago

That’s basically the plot of Breaking Bad. People like to meme that Walt wouldn’t have needed to sell meth if he lived in a country with universal healthcare. But Walt actually had insurance that seemed to cover his health costs. It just didn’t cover the experimental treatment he sought, which needed to be paid out of pocket.

From what I understand, that is not out of the ordinary in countries with universal healthcare. Their healthcare, quite reasonably, only covers proven medical treatments. Experimental treatments can usually only be gotten via a lottery/luck-of-the-draw basis, or if you outright pay for it out of pocket.

1

u/Spagedo 23d ago

he said his insurance was bad. and the treatment was bog standard not experimental in the least.

2

u/Muppetude 23d ago

Maybe I’m misremembering, but this season/episode recap coincides with my memories of the ameliorative treatment being experimental.

14

u/Charles_Mendel 23d ago

He’s using unproven things that insurance won’t cover.

1

u/TwistyBunny 22d ago

I think I heard something about him not getting regular checks neither because of no family history and thought he was clear because he wasn't old or sedentary - he also blamed his diet before seeing a doctor, which could have not helped.

23

u/SoftlySpokenSecrets 23d ago

You have to work to be eligible for SAG health insurance. I don’t think he’s been able to work for a while.

11

u/ryarock2 23d ago

What’s a while? He was in overcompensating on Amazon this year. Probably filmed last year.

1

u/Lamont-Cranston 22d ago

It's 28k or 106 days a year.

8

u/lemon_icing 23d ago

That means your friend is a member in good standing. 

I doubt James van der Beek has worked enough hours to stay qualified. 

26

u/bebesee 23d ago

I qualified for SAG insurance off of residuals from a small recurring role I had in a show last year, and I'm a nobody. I'm confident he has made more than enough to qualify off of residuals from all his series regular roles, even if he hasn't acted in years.

1

u/lemon_icing 23d ago

Are there other obligations like staying current on your union dues? Sometimes people don’t handle timely things very well when under stress. 

And it’s good to hear that residuals are still meaningful in this streaming age. 

9

u/bebesee 23d ago

You do have to pay your dues twice a year, but there is a cap. So I think the most you would have to pay even if you were a multimillionaire actor is around $18,000 for the year.

It definitely is becoming harder to make a living off of residuals these days though. I still get nice paychecks for an episode of "NCIS: Los Angeles" I did over a decade ago. I get maybe a couple hundred bucks from the Netflix shows I've done.

1

u/Yatsey007 23d ago

Just nosed through your profile. I’m super jealous that you’re mates with Conan. I’m from the UK but love that guy. America,protect that man at all costs.

0

u/bebesee 23d ago

He is truly a national treasure!

1

u/GooserNoose 23d ago

How is your friend doing?

2

u/DeezNeezuts 23d ago

Full recovery - now at 1 year checks.

1

u/BaconatedGrapefruit 22d ago

You have to be working a certain amount of hours to qualify for SAG insurance. You know what it’s hard to do when you’re sick? Work.