James Van Der Beek made a surprise virtual appearance at a Dawson’s Creek reunion charity event on Monday, September 22, after earlier withdrawing due to sickness.

While Van Der Beek, 48, was unable to attend the charity event in person at New York City’s Richard Rogers Theatre, he appeared via a prerecorded video displayed on stage. In the video, the actor thanked fans for buying tickets to the event and introduced Lin-Manuel Miranda, his understudy.

“I have been looking forward to this night for months and months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together,” Van Der Beek said before she started. “I can’t believe I am not there. I can’t believe I don’t get to meet my castmates, my lovely cast, in person.”

He went on to say, “And I simply want to stand on that platform and thank everyone in the theater for coming today. From the actors to the crew to everyone who is doing anything and has been so generous, especially each one of you, you are the finest fans in the world.”

“Thanks for coming. It’s so humbling how much you did for this night, and I just wanted to thank you. “Thank you to everyone here,” he remarked. “Obviously, in Dawson’s Creek, I didn’t have an understudy, but this is Broadway, and I needed one. So we decided to attempt to locate someone who had never understudied in this theater before.

He then presented Miranda, his replacement for the occasion, and quipped that his children “would consider an upgrade.”

In an Instagram post uploaded on Sunday, Sept. 21, only one day before the one-night-only charity event, the 48-year-old actor stated that he was “gutted” after suffering two distinct stomach bugs but promised followers that he would have an “understudy,” whom he verified to be Miranda, 45. Van Der Beek stated “two stomach viruses” as his reason for pulling out.

Van Der Beek’s wife, Kimberly, said she still intended to attend with the couple’s children. “It was important to him that we come!!” she wrote.

Kimberly and the couple’s children joined the cast onstage to perform Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want To Wait,” the show’s theme song.

The cast of the beloved WB teen drama series, including Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe, and Busy Philipps, reunited at the Richard Rodgers Theatre for a live reading of the show’s pilot episode to benefit F Cancer and Van Der Beek, who was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer last year.

Jason Moore, a Dawson alum, directed the event, which was produced by Carl Ogawa, Moore, Williams, Thomas Kail, Maggie Brohn, Kevin Williamson, and Greg Berlanti. From 1998 to 2003, the original program ran six seasons and addressed key issues in the coming-of-age genre.

Van Der Beek has been open about his battle with cancer since announcing his diagnosis in November 2024.

Van Der Beek told PEOPLE in November 2024 that he was feeling okay and gave advice to those who were going through a similar experience.

“Miracles do happen—and they happen all the time,” he told reporters. “It’s terrifying at first. It is overpowering. Take it easy on yourself. “You’ve got this.”

“I’ve really been so blessed with my wife and kids,” he told me. “I’ve got a lot to live for, and it’s a beautiful life.”