James Van Der Beek’s GoFundMe surpasses $2m as Steven Spielberg’s $25k donation moves Dawson’s Creek fans
Fans of the late James Van Der Beek were inspired to see that a GoFundMe set up for his family surpassed $2 million in donations on Thursday.
The fundraiser reached that mark shortly after 10 p.m. ET, meaning it took less than 48 hours after the GoFundMe was set up on Wednesday, shortly after the Dawson’s Creek star’s death at 48 was announced.
The $2 million mark exceeded the fundraiser’s $1.5 million goal, which had been progressively raised from an earlier $550,000 goal
Van Der Beek died following a battle against colorectal cancer that he had been waging since August 2023, though he only revealed his diagnosis in November of 2024.
The GoFundMe account was set up to benefit the late actor’s wife Kimberly, as well as their six children, who were said to be ‘out of funds’ after his lengthy and expensive cancer struggle.
In addition to a previously reported recurring donation from Zoë Saldaña, one of the most high-profile large donation came from Steven Spielberg.
Fans of the late James Van Der Beek were inspired to see that a GoFundMe set up for his family surpassed $2 million in donations on Thursday; pictured in May 2025 in Hollywood
The fundraiser reached that mark shortly after 10 p.m. ET, meaning it took less than 48 hours after the GoFundMe was set up on Wednesday, shortly after the Dawson’s Creek star’s death at 48 was announced
The second-highest donation was from filmmaker Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw; pictured February 10 in Beverly Hills
The A-list couple donated $25,000, just behind the top donation of $30,000 from an anonymous person
The iconic filmmaker and his wife Kate Capshaw made a $25,000 donation to the GoFundMe, marking the second-largest donation behind an anonymous $30,000 gift.
Van Der Beek doesn’t appear to have had a real-life professional relationship with Spielberg, but the filmmaker’s donation was meaningful to fans of Dawson’s Creek, as the late actor’s character considered Spielberg to be his hero.
Like the Jaws director, Dawson aspired to be a filmmaker, and he decorated his bedroom with posters from Spielberg’s films as inspiration.
Spielberg did reach out to Dawson’s Creek fans last year, when he recorded a video message for a reunion event in September, in which the original cast members did a live reading of the 1998 pilot script.
Van Der Beek was notably absent due to illness, and Lin-Manuel Miranda stepped in to read for Dawson, but the rest of the cast was featured at the reunion, including Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe and Busy Philipps, while Hamilton star Renée Elise Goldsberry narrated the event.
While Van Der Beek couldn’t be there in person, he did speak to his fans via a video message.
‘I can’t believe I don’t get to hug my cast mates,’ he said in his clip as his voice got choked up, according to Variety. ‘I wanted to stand on that stage and thank every single person in this theater for being here tonight.’
After the reading concluded, he returned with another video message.
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Although Spielberg and Van Der Beek hadn’t worked together, the late actor’s character on Dawson’s Creek dreamed of being a filmmaker and considered Spielberg to be his idol; Van Der Beek is pictured with Michelle Williams (L) and Katie Holmes (R) in 1998
In September 2025, Spielberg filmed a video message for a Dawson’s Creek reunion with the original cast, though Van Der Beek couldn’t make it due to illness; pictured with wife Kate Capshaw in October in London
Wicked director Jon Chu also donated to Van Der Beek’s GoFundMe; pictured on the set of Wicked: For Good with Ariana Grande (L) and Cynthia Erivo (R)
Chu donated $10,000, putting him among the top donations for the fund
‘Now, nobody in their right mind would ever draw a parallel between the two, but one very big similarity between Dawson and the Phantom of the Opera is that both of them were faced with the reality that the woman they loved truly loved somebody else, said, “Go to him. Go to him now before I change my mind.” Only one resulted in a crying face meme,’ joked Van Der Beek, before he introduced a performance of The Music Of The Night by Norm Lewis.
It was then that Spielberg made an appearance via video to salute the show.
‘Dawson, you made it,’ he said, according to video posted to social media by an audience member. ‘Maybe someday, I will get to have a Dawson’s closet.’
Wicked director Jon Chu also made one of the top donations to Van Der Beek’s GoFundMe with $10,000.
Zoë Saldaña has set up recurring donations to James Van Der Beek’s family after his death on Wednesday.
The actress, 47, apparently organized monthly payments of $2,500 to a GoFundMe, according to screenshots from the website.
Fans were heartened and astounded by Saldana’s generosity toward Van Der Beek’s family, who previously said they were ‘out of funds’ after the star died aged 48.
She and the Dawson’s Creek star, who had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, do not appear to have had any substantial on-screen collaborations and it is unclear if the two were friends.
Zoe Saldana pledged to donate to James Van Der Beek’s family after his death on Wednesday
Saldana apparently pledged $2,500 a month to Van Der Beek’s family. The actor is survived by his wife Kimberley and their six children
The actress expressed her heartbreak over Van Der Beek’s death with a tribute post shared to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday
The Daily Mail has reached out to Saldana’s representatives for comment.
She expressed her heartbreak over Van Der Beek’s death with a tribute post shared on Instagram on Wednesday.
‘This hits hard… Our deepest condolences to his family,’ she wrote while posting a photo of the actor.
On X, several accounts noted her apparent charity.
‘Zoe Saldana donating $2,500 to James Van Der Beek’s family, MONTHLY, in the wake of his loss is just about the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,’ one user said on X.
The post included a screenshot showing the donation, which was made out from ‘Zoe Saldana–Perego,’ the actress’s married name.
The comments were filled with users saluting Saldana for looking out for Van Der Beek’s family, including his widow, Kimberly, and their six children.
‘What an incredibly kind gesture from a wonderful young lady,’ one said.
On X, several accounts noted her apparent charity with screenshots of the recurring donation
The comments were filled with people saluting Saldana for looking out for Van Der Beek’s family, including his widow Kimberly and their six children
Some commenters took issue with Saldana’s donation and complained that it was not enough for Kimberly and Van Der Beek’s six children
They complained that the donation was not large enough based on Saldana’s net worth, or because they assumed the campaign would not last long enough for many monthly payments to be made to the family
But several commenters reacted defensively to the negative slant of some of the posts
Van Der Beek was best known for starring alongside Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and Michelle Williams on Dawson’s Creek, which ran for six seasons
The GoFundMe for Van Der Beek’s family has raised $1.6 million as of Thursday
‘Wow, monthly, that is amazing and will be such a relief to a grieving mom,’ another chimed in.
‘Monthly support like that? Zoe Saldana is setting the standard for humanity,’ a user wrote.
‘The fact that this is a recurring monthly commitment shows the depth of her character,’ added another poster.
Some commenters took issue with Saldana’s donation, either because they thought it was not large enough given her net worth or because they assumed the campaign would not last long enough for many monthly payments to be made to Van Der Beek’s family.
‘Zoe Saldana’s net worth is estimated to be approximately $60 million. And yet $2,500? Better than nothing, I guess,’ read one comment.
‘I mean, she is the highest-grossing actor of all time,’ another person wrote, seemingly suggesting that the amount was not high enough.
‘Can’t help but think that there may be a family out there that could use help even more than the children of a millionaire,’ another person suggested.
But several commenters reacted defensively to the negative slant of some of the posts.
‘What should have been a heartfelt post has turned into something else in the comments. What a beautiful gesture, hopefully it inspires others who are able to go the same [sic],’ added one commenter.
As of Thursday, the GoFundMe for Van Der Beek’s family had raised $1.6 million, surpassing its $1.3 million goal.
It was originally set at just $1 million, but was increased after Van Der Beek’s fans quickly reached it.
