Who Is James Van Der Beek's Wife, Kimberly? Met In Israel After Divorce, Built A Family With 6 Kids

James Van Der Beek, aka ‘Dawson Leery’ from Dawson's Creek, made headlines this week after he pulled out of the show’s highly anticipated reunion, citing health struggles linked to his ongoing battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer. The 48-year-old actor shared on his Instagram that he was ‘gutted’ to miss the charity event, which will now see Lin-Manuel Miranda step in to read the role of ‘Dawson’.

While the news has left fans and colleagues even more concerned about his health, Van Der Beek assured his followers that he is surrounded by a strong support system, starting with Kimberly, his wife of 15 years. From seeing the highs and lows of James’ Hollywood career to building a family of eight amid miscarriages, Kimberly has been through it all.

So who is the woman James credits with saving his life? Here’s everything to know about Kimberly Van Der Beek.

James met his soulmate during a trip to Israel

The beginning of James and Kimberly’s love story reads like a romantic novel. The Dawson’s Creek star was on a group trip to Israel in 2009 when his path unexpectedly crossed with 28-year-old Kimberly Brooke. Back then, Van Der Beek had just recently gotten out of his marriage with his first wife, actress Heather McComb.

The actor later recalled he was in the middle of a conversation with a friend about wanting ‘a real relationship’ and a soulmate with whom he could build a family. His emotional revelation was cut short when a voice interrupted him, and he turned around to find Kimberly, and just like that, his course of life had shifted. 

Though Kimberly was not looking for a relationship, their connection was instant, and within six months, they were living together. Before they knew it, the couple learnt they were expecting their first child. In August 2010, almost exactly one year after their first meeting, they returned to Israel for a spontaneous wedding at the Kabbalah Centre in Tel Aviv, the very place Kimberly had first interrupted him.

On their tenth wedding anniversary, James shared a heartfelt tribute to his wife on his Instagram, gushing at the beauty of that chance encounter that changed his life in the best way possible. Recalling their first meeting and the year that led to their marriage, Van Der Beek wrote:

“Ten years ago today, this woman made me the happiest I’d ever been… I was in Israel, on a trip with an organised group, when it hit me: I was done being single. I wanted a real relationship. A soul mate. Someone with whom I could build a family. I was mid-revelation, rattling all this off to a friend of mine, when a voice interrupted us, wanting to ask him a question. I was annoyed. Who the hell was stepping all over my moment? I turned around... it was @vanderkimberly.”

Building a family of six

James and Kimberly have since expanded their family, welcoming six children: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, and Jeremiah. The Dancing With The Stars alum often says in his interviews that fatherhood has been the most defining role of his life, one that not only moulded his priorities but also deepened his love and respect for Kimberly. They welcomed their youngest, Jeremiah, in 2021.

However, their parenting journey has been anything but smooth sailing. The couple has been candid about the physical, emotional, and psychological strain of having to endure five miscarriages, including two back-to-back. In 2021, she revealed that blood transfusions saved her life during complications. These moments, James says, tested them in ways they never expected but ultimately strengthened their marriage.

The couple left Los Angeles in 2020 to live a ranch life in Texas, seeking peace in a life of simplicity, nature, grounding, and most of all, healing.

Who is Kimberly Van Der Beek?

Kimberly often prefers to stay out of the spotlight, but she has built her own path in the creative industry. In 2010, she worked as an associate producer on the Sundance documentary Teenage Paparazzo. She has reportedly also briefly dabbled in acting.

In 2020, Kimberly Van Der Beek launched the podcast Bathroom Chronicles, which has featured guests like Rumer Willis and Jamie-Lynn Sigler. The show gained traction for its candid conversations, offering women a space to laugh, cry, and speak openly. 

Kimberly has been James’ biggest rock throughout their cancer journey. In August 2025, on their 15th wedding anniversary, the actor paid tribute to her on Instagram, crediting her for not only saving his life but also for showing “what it is to live.” 

For the Dawson’s Creek star, being forced to drop out of the union will always matter. But as his posts and tributes make clear, nothing means more to him than the woman he met by chance in Israel and the six pure souls they are raising together in Texas.

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