James Van Der Beek’s close friend hits back at people criticising GoFundMe page

A friend of James Van Der Beek has hit out at people criticising the GoFundMe set up for his family.

The Dawson's Creek star died earlier this month at the age of 48, with his wife Kimberly confirming on 11 February that he'd 'passed peacefully this morning'.

The actor had said in 2024 he had been diagnosed with cancer, and after his death Van Der Beek's representatives told People that some of his friends had helped him put a payment down on his family home which he'd been renting for several years.

A GoFundMe to help James Van Der Beek's family

Following the actor's death a GoFundMe was set up, which at time of writing has amassed over $2.6 million in donations, but there have been some criticisms of it.

On the social media site Threads, someone said Van Der Beek's family getting GoFundMe donations 'doesn't sit right' with them.

James Van Der Beek died earlier this month at the age of 48 (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

They wrote: "Sure, I get it. But thousands of people around the world face this exact situation every day and deal with the struggle. They don't get $2.5 million. It's just weird. He had to have had life insurance... and residual checks.."

'You have no idea the pain they went through'

Fellow actor Mehcad Brooks hit out at the criticism, telling people they had 'no idea what the f**k you're talking about'.

Brooks, a self-described close friend of the late Dawson's Creek star, wrote in his reply: "I am one of the Van Der Beek's closest friends, and the headlines are fake as f**k."

"You have no idea what the f**k you're talking about. You have no idea the pain they went through. It's okay to shut the f**k up when you can't know what the f**k you're talking about.

"It's okay not to try to seek attention off of other people's suffering or the generosity in response to it. Because James touched them for decades.

Mehcad Brooks hit out at somebody who said all the money being donated to Van Der Beek's family 'doesn't sit right' with them (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

"It's okay for you to stay quiet in the face of blind stupidity, meanness and lack of empathy. But maybe you're not okay."

So he's made his position on the matter abundantly clear.

James Van Der Beek's brother's tribute

The actor's brother Jared also recently posted a tribute, where he said the 'physical bond was broken' between them.

He said: "I now know why people call it heartbreak when you lose someone close to you. There is a feeling of devastation and pain that runs so deep in the heart, I didn’t know it would hurt so badly.

“He was my person, the one I went to for any and all things. I’ve looked up to him since I was born. He has never failed to be there for me whenever I needed him.”