Who Is James Van Der Beek’s Wife? Inside His Relationship With Kimberly & Their Family
James Van Der Beek has died at the age of 48 after battling colorectal cancer for more than two years. He received his cancer diagnosis in August 2023 and publicly revealed the news in November 2024.
His death was confirmed by his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, on February 11, 2026. “Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” she wrote on Instagram. “He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. 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 and Kimberly tied the knot in 2010, and she has been by his side amid his cancer diagnosis. Scroll down for everything to know about their relationship and family.
Who is James Van Der Beek’s wife?
Kimberly is a former business consultant and is credited as an associate producer on the documentary Teenage Paparazzo, which was directed by Adrian Grenier and premiered in 2010. She also cohosted the Bathroom Chronicles podcast from 2023 to 2024.
Since meeting James, Kimberly has been focused on raising the couple’s children. The family moved to Texas in 2020, and Kimberly revealed that year that she and her husband were homeschooling their kids at the time. She said they tried the “traditional” method of homeschooling, while also hiring teachers and trying a “homeschool co-op at another friend’s house.”
How did James Van Der Beek meet his wife?
James and Kimberly met in Israel in 2009. “[I was] on a trip with an organized 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,” James shared in an Instagram post on their 10-year wedding anniversary. “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.”
James revealed that three days later, he asked his future wife what she was “looking for” in a relationship, and she replied, “I’m not looking for a relationship.” There was no denying the chemistry, though, and the two were living together just six months later.
Two weeks after they moved in together, Kimberly was pregnant with their first child. They tied the knot on August 1, 2010. “Almost exactly one year to the date after she’d first interrupted me,” James concluded.
How many kids did James Van Der Beek have?
James was a father to six children. He and Kimberly welcomed their daughter, Olivia, in September 2010, one month after their wedding. Next came son Joshua in March 2012, followed by daughter Annabel in January 2014, daughter Emilia in March 2016, daughter Gwendolyn in June 2018, and son Jeremiah in October 2021.
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Kimberly also had five miscarriages as the couple built their family. Two of them were late-term. In November 2019, while James was a contestant on Dancing With the Stars, Kimberly miscarried at 17 weeks. She had another miscarriage at 17 weeks in June 2020 before getting pregnant with Jeremiah.
Who was James Van Der Beek’s first wife?
Before his relationship with Kimberly, James was married to Heather McComb from 2003 until 2009 (their divorce was finalized in March 2010). McComb is best known for her role as Maggie on Party of Five, but has also made appearances on shows including Bones, The Mentalist, Prison Break, Ray Donovan, Grey’s Anatomy, and more.
