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Alfonso Ribeiro remembered his dear friend and late actor James Van Der Beek in a recent podcast appearance and shared the lasting gift he received from spending time with him on his deathbed. While he didn't take a physical gift from him, his takeaway of being surrounded by the people he loves proved valuable.
Riberiro appeared on Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb ahead of Dancing With The Stars return to the 2026 TV schedule, and talked a bit about sharing James Van Der Beek's final moments. After his passing, the actor and host talked with his wife and began plotting his own plans for his eventual death:
I was going to see James while he was in his deathbed, literally, you know, we had conversations. I said to my wife afterwards, 'That's what I want when I go.' I want to be surrounded by people that love you. That are there for you that want what's best for you and everyone around you, that's what I want when I know. And so, from that day, you can walk around in life going, 'Let's make sure that's available. Let's make sure that that can happen,' right? And so live every day making sure that's a possibility.
Given how upset he was in his public statement at the time of Van Der Beek's passing, it's good to hear Alfonso Ribeiro came out on the other side with something positive. Losing a friend, especially one as close as Van Der Beek was to him, is tough.
James Van Der Beek's public battle with colorectal cancer received a lot of attention in Hollywood, with actors like Paul Walter Hauser offering to help with his bills for treatment. A GoFundMe for the family ended up bringing in millions of dollars, as actors and creatives alike helped bring them out of debt following all of his treatments.
Of course, there were also critics, some of whom questioned why a family with a multi-million dollar home was crowd-funding to pay medical bills rather than downsizing. While there were complaints, the crowd-funding effort still received a lot of support from the general public, and it seems any controversy tied to it has largely fallen off.
While James Van Der Beek is gone, he still has an appearance on the way. Van Der Beek's final performance will be on the Legally Blonde prequel Elle, which launches on July 1st for those with a Prime subscription. It'll be one final chance for audiences to appreciate the late actor, who rose to prominence on Dawson's Creek in the late '90s.
As for Ribeiro, he's set to return as co-host on Dancing With The Stars when it returns to ABC in the fall with Season 35. This season will be a big one, with a new spinoff airing ahead of time called Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro. Surprisingly, that series tapped the latest winner, Robert Irwin, to host the series, meaning Ribeiro and Julianne Hough get to kick back and relax until the fall season rolls around.
Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro premieres on July 13th. It'll be a good way to fill time as we wait for the flagship show's return in the fall, and for Alfonso Ribeiro to be back on television.
