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Shortly after news got out that James Van Der Beek had passed away, many of his famous friends contributed to his GoFundMe page and encouraged their followers to do the same.
Fans and friends have now raised more than $2 million for James’ family.
While it’s nice to see folks rallying behind such a worthy cause, many have been left wondering how James — who first gained fame in his early 20s — could wind up in such dire financial straits in his final years.
Well, for starters, healthcare costs remain astronomical in the US, and James had been battling colorectal cancer since 2024.
But it seems that the Van Der Beeks’ financial situation may have been somewhat uncertain even before James behan his treatments.
In addition to being a father to six children, James says he signed a “bad contract” after being cast on Dawson’s Creek at the age of 20.
“There was no residual money,” he told Today.com in 2012. “It was a bad contract,” he explained. “I saw almost nothing from that.”
James went on to note that he signed on to costar in the short-lived ABC sitcom Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 in, “when the [Dawson’s Creek] money ran out.”
On the show, James played a fictionalized version of himself who was desperate to revive his flagging acting career.
“It is very easy if you have all the money in the world to just sit back and coast,” he said in the 2012 interview.
“But if you realized that you are going to have to start providing for yourself and for your family, it really forces you to buckle down.”
Actress Rachel True elaborated on the financial realities of modern television in a recent Instagram post:
“TV shows not on ABC, CBS, or NBC are considered already ‘syndicated’ & all that means they don’t have to pay proper residuals to actors,” she wrote on Wednesday.
“It F’s actors like James out of their deserved financial security & proper legacy ~I did 2 eps of Dawson’s Creek He was a delight.”
Yes, stars of hit TV shows are initially paid well, but Dawson’s Creek wrapped its six-season run way back in 2003, and the days of endless residual checks for syndicated reruns are over.
James went on to wow critics with his work in acclaimed films like 2002’s The Rules of Attraction, but unfortunately, strong reviews don’t equal big paychecks.
Celebrity contributors to James’ GoFundMe include Steven Spielberg, Zoe Saldaña, Dancing With the Stars personality Derek Hough.
You can contribute to the fundraiser here.
