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‘Masked Singer’ pays emotional tribute to late contestant James Van Der Beek and we're literally sobbing

Episode 6 of ‘The Masked Singer’ Season 14 pauses for an emotional farewell to former contestant James Van Der Beek, 48, after his death from cancer

Wednesday night’s episode of ‘The Masked Singer’ opened with something far more somber than a wild costume reveal or a panelist’s off-the-wall guess. The Fox competition paused to honor one of its own, remembering former contestant James Van Der Beek, who passed away at 48. Before the music started and the guessing games began, a simple message appeared on screen: “In loving memory of our Griffin James Van Der Beek. March 8th 1977 – February 11, 2026.” The tribute was brief, and it said everything it needed to. News of the actor’s passing broke earlier that day. His wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, shared the heartbreaking update through Instagram.

It confirmed that James died after a long fight with colorectal cancer. Alongside a photo of her husband, she wrote, “Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace.” She continued, “There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.” James first revealed his diagnosis in November 2024, explaining that he had been living with stage 3 cancer since the previous year.

Even while undergoing treatment and facing the uncertainty that comes with that kind of battle, he stepped onto ‘The Masked Singer’ stage in one of the show’s most elaborate costumes: part eagle, part lion. He lasted six episodes before the judges finally figured out his identity. When he was eliminated, he sang ‘I Had Some Help’ by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen for his final performance. After the mask came off and his identity was revealed, his wife and their six children joined him under the stage lights: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, and Jeremiah. At the time, few people in the audience knew what he was dealing with behind the scenes.

In a departing interview with PEOPLE, James reflected on what the experience meant to him. He said, “What was cool is, the audience didn’t know. So as much as I was dealing with whatever I was dealing with in my trailer and with the world, it was this great escape to be able to put on this mask and just connect with that audience and not have cancer be a part of it at all.” He also admitted that it had been a “very, very, long time” since he had performed vocally in public. As a child, he said, he would “audition all the time for summer stock.”

Those early auditions slowed down when he landed the role of Dawson Leery on ‘Dawson’s Creek.’ The WB drama, which aired from 1998 to 2003, followed a tight-knit group of teenagers growing up in a small Massachusetts town. Alongside Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and Michelle Williams, James became a familiar face in households across the country. But even after years in film and television, he hadn’t let go of the idea of stepping onto a Broadway stage one day. In that same interview, he shared a simple hope: “I would love to do Broadway. It would be a dream come true.”