Why James Van Der Beek was forced to reveal his cancer diagnosis early: ‘There’s no playbook’

James Van Der Beek wanted to share his cancer diagnosis on his “own terms.”

Just hours after the “Dawson’s Creek” alum revealed his colorectal cancer diagnosis in a statement to People published Sunday, he took to Instagram to explain why the news had to come out sooner than he expected.

“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,” the actor captioned a video montage reel.

However, the father of six, 47, had to shift gears when he “was informed that a tabloid was going to run with the news.”

“I’ve been dealing with this privately until now, getting treatment and dialing in my overall health with greater focus than ever before,” he continued.

“I’m in a good place and feeling strong. It’s been quite the initiation, and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready.”

Van Der Beek went on to apologize to his loved ones and close friends who found out about his cancer from People’s story.

“Apologies to all the people in my life who I’d planned on telling myself,” the “Varsity Blues” actor added.

“Nothing about this process has occurred on my preferred timeline… But we roll with it, taking each surprise as a signpost, pointing us toward a greater destiny than we would have discovered without divine intervention.”

Van Der Beek then expressed his gratitude for the outpouring of messages he has received since sharing his colorectal cancer diagnosis publicly.

“Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support,” he concluded. “More to come…”

In his earlier statement to People, Van Der Beek shared he has been “privately privately dealing with this diagnosis and … taking steps to resolve it.”

He also credited the “support of [his] incredible family.”

The actor married his wife, Kimberly, in 2010 and they share children Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.

“There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good,” he added.