James Van Der Beek made sure to be there for his kids when they went trick-or-treating amid his cancer battle, and his wife revealed he got creative by accompanying them in a golf cart.
“Happy Halloween!!!!” James’ wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, wrote via Instagram in a post shared on Saturday, November 1. Kimberly, 43, shared a photo of the family’s costumes from their trick-or-treating festivities the night before, in which James, 48, dressed up as the titular character in the Phantom of the Opera in a tuxedo, white bowtie and a matching half-face mask. Meanwhile, Kimberly dressed up as a fox with a spiderweb painted on her neck.
The photos didn’t stop there, and she also shared an adorable selfie with James via her Instagram Stories. “Phantom and the Fox,” she captioned the snapshot.
The couple share kids Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 11, Emilia, 9, Gwendolyn, 7, and Jeremiah, 4, who each rocked individual costumes for the holiday. Annabel and Emilia dressed as the Statue of Liberty and a witch, while Joshua rocked a skeleton outfit. Meanwhile, Gwendolyn dressed up as Rumi from K-Pop Demon Hunters and Jeremiah was a lime-green bear. It’s not clear what Olivia dressed up as because she didn’t appear in the family photos.
After they took the family photos, James and Kimberly took their children around their neighborhood to collect candy. In one Instagram Story post, Kimberly captured James behind the wheel of a golf cart as they went from house to house.
“A trick-or-treat golf cart?! Don’t mind if we do,” she captioned the photo. “Thanks to my babe @odetteannable.”
James celebrated the holiday with his family one year after he revealed he was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
“I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” he told People in November 2023, sharing he had already underwent an undisclosed form of treatment. “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.”
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At the time, he called the experience “a crash course in the mastery of mind, body, and spirit.” James continued, “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.’”
James was feeling rested enough to go trick-or-treating after he was forced to cancel his appearance at a Dawson’s Creek reunion that took place in New York City in September. He announced he was unable to make it because he caught “two stomach viruses.” However, James assured fans they were in good hands because he recruited Lin-Manuel Miranda to take his place in a reading of the show’s pilot during the event.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
