James Van Der Beek Explains Why He Felt He Had To Keep His Cancer Diagnosis Secret

The news of James Van Der Beek’s colorectal cancer diagnosis came as a surprise to many — but the actor didn’t plan it that way.

“I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” the 47-year-old father of six told the magazine in an exclusive.

After the news broke on Sunday, the “Varsity Blues” star followed up his announcement with an eye-opening post published to his Instagram account that same day, in which he explained why he felt the need to keep his health status a secret.

James Van Der Beek in a promo for the 2020 Hulu film "Bad Hair."

Deadline via Getty Images

“Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I’m one of them,” he began. “There’s no playbook for how [to] announce these things, but I’d planned on talking about it at length with People magazine at some point soon ... to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms.”

But, as the “Rules of Attraction” star went on to explain, this plan “had to be altered early this morning when I was informed that a tabloid was going to run with the news.”

The “Don’t Trust the B―― in Apartment 23” alum went on to reveal that some of his loved ones weren’t even aware of his diagnosis until they learned it through the press.

“Apologies to all the people in my life who I’d planned on telling myself,” he said. “Nothing about this process has occurred on my preferred timeline…”

Van Der Beek also noted that although he’s been “dealing with this privately until now” he’s “in a good place and feeling strong.”

“It’s been quite the initiation, and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready,” he wrote.

James Van Der Beek with his wife, Kimberly, at an event in 2018.

Tasia Wells via Getty Images

It’s unclear when exactly the “Labor Day” star was planning to announce his diagnosis publicly, but there must have been plans to do it relatively soon.

Next month, Van Der Beek is set to appear in a two-hour special to raise awareness for prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancer testing and research, per People. The special, called “The Real Full Monty,” is inspired by the 1997 Oscar-nominated film “The Full Monty” — in which a group of average-looking men decide to perform a male striptease act in which they’ll show everything in order to raise money for their friend. The special, which will include guests Taye Diggs and Tyler Posey, is set to air on Fox on Dec. 9.