James Van Der Beek’s friend and fellow actor Mehcad Brooks (True Blood, Mortal Kombat) recently took to a thread (via The Daily Beast) to slam the backlash against GoFundMe, which was set up after Van Der Beek’s death to raise money for his wife and children. The campaign raised $2.6 million after the late actor revealed that his battle with cancer left his family “capped for funds.” But there were also detractors on social media.
“This doesn’t work for me. It doesn’t work at all,” one Threads user posted about the GoFundMe. “Sure, I get that. But thousands of people around the world face this exact situation every day and are fighting the battle. They haven’t received the $2.5 million. That’s strange. He had to take out life insurance… and the remaining check…”
After seeing the post, Brooks fired back: “I’m one of Van Der Beek’s closest friends and the headline is FAKE AF and I have no idea what he’s talking about.” “You have no idea what pain they’ve been through. When you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, it’s okay to make a fuss. It’s okay not to try to draw attention to other people’s suffering or your tolerance for it, because James has touched them for decades. It’s okay to stay silent in the face of blind stupidity, meanness, and lack of empathy. But you may not be okay.”
A GoFundMe campaign was started by friends of the late actor. They thanked their fans when the campaign reached $2 million.
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for coming to see James and his beautiful family. Your kindness means more than we can express in words,” the statement said. “In the midst of deep grief, your support has been a light, reminding us that love is real, community is strong, and the spirit of James continues to bring people together…Your respect and understanding will give them the space they need to heal.”
The backlash against the campaign appears to have accelerated after Realtor.com published a report in January alleging that Van Der Beek had purchased a ranch outside Austin, Texas, for $4.8 million. The actor and his family had rented the ranch since moving from California in 2020.
“James secured a down payment on a ranch in Texas with the help of friends through a trust to help his family move from rent to mortgage,” a rep for the late actor told People over the weekend.
In the days following Van Der Beek’s death, Brooks has taken to social media to remember and pay tribute to his friend. Brooks posted a photo of the two together on a merry-go-round and wrote, “One of the greatest honors of my life is to call James my brother. You cannot underestimate the impact this man had on the world, especially on those who knew him. He was and will always be an angel to all of us.”
“I was with him the last four days,” Brooks continued. “He handled the transition from flesh and blood, earth and bone to air and spirit, energy and soul like a true king. James really influenced me in such a unique and special way that I’ve been on this call all day trying to explain it to you…You have no idea how great of a human being he really is.”
