James Van Der Beek abandons ‘impossible’ New Year’s resolutions during cancer battle
James Van Der Beek is ditching his “impossible” New Year’s resolutions.
The actor asked his Instagram followers whether they’ve also had a hard time sticking to their goals, insisting they are not at “fault” because this struggle “makes sense.”
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“Why are we celebrating a New Year in the dead of winter?” the “Dawson’s Creek” alum, 48, asked. “Why are we celebrating new beginnings at a time when nature rests? Animals are hibernating, birds fly south for the winter.”
Instead, Van Der Beek wants to set resolutions “in the spring at the vernal equinox when the flowers bloom and it gets warmer and the birds return.”
He noted, “That’s how nature does it. Why are we fighting nature? I mean, all due respect to Pope Gregory the 8th who saddled us with this Gregorian calendar system, but it just makes absolutely no sense.”
The “Varsity Blues” star, who has been battling cancer since 2023, said he will “rest” and “recover” this winter — and revisit his goals in the spring.
“Who’s with me?” Van Der Beek asked — and many of his A-list followers weighed in.
“I’m with you. I love this,” Alyssa Milano gushed, while Odette Annable agreed, “Yes! Correct, I’ll be over with some soup!”
One fan raved over how “strong” and “healthy” the “Pose” alum appeared in the video.
Van Der Beek was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in August 2023, waiting until November of the following year to share the news publicly.
“There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good,” he reassured People in 2024.
The “Rules of Attraction” star sparked concern in September 2025 when he missed the “Dawson’s Creek” reunion in New York City — and appeared thin in the video message he recorded in his absence.
However, Van Der Beek blamed his weight loss on a stomach virus in a “Today” show interview last month, insisting the slimdown was “not cancer-related.”
“Although with cancer, everything is like, ‘Why don’t we super size that stomach virus?’” he noted.
The Texas resident has been married to Kimberly Van Der Beek, with whom he shares six children, since August 2010.
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