James Van Der Beek’s 6 Children: Everything to Know

James Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly are the proud parents of six children: daughters Olivia, Annabel, Emilia and Gwendolyn and sons Joshua and Jeremiah.

“I think fatherhood changes you from the inside out,” he said Dawson’s Creek star told PEOPLE in 2013, adding that it comes with a lack of free time, but it’s a trade-off he’s happy to make for family.

Similarly, Kimberly stated that a large family means less time for the couple. “Now it’s couch dates, ordering in and snuggling,” she told PEOPLE in 2019.

James and Kimberly (nee Brook) met in July 2009 in Israel. The following April, they confirmed they were expecting their first child together. The couple married quietly in August 2010, returning to Israel for a small, spiritual ceremony.

Their eldest daughter, Olivia, was born the following month. Two years later, they had their second child, a son, Joshua.

Kimberly Van Der Beek’s Instagram

“My philosophy has always been to be completely honest,” James told PEOPLE in 2020 about his parenting style.

Now, ex Dancing with the stars contestant is a father of six — he and Kimberly welcomed their youngest son in October 2021 after several pregnancy losses.

“We watched our lives change with each child,” James shared with PEOPLE. “We’ve watched the opportunities grow and we’ve seen the positive effect it’s had on our other children. And the extra love that’s been brought into the house lights everything up in a way that’s kind of undeniable.”

Here’s everything you need to know about James Van Der Beek’s children: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.

Olivia Van Der Beek, 13

James Van Der Beek Instagram

James and Kimberly’s first child, Olivia Van Der Beek, was born on September 25, 2010 in Los Angeles.

Speaking to PEOPLE, James said he chose her name for a sweet reason. – We wanted him to come out and then see what his name would be. He then said: “She looked like Olivia,” before adding: “There is an olive tree in Israel that is special to us.”

“We spent time under it when we first met in Israel,” Kimberly added, saying the two “went back to this tree when I was pregnant.”

As for Olivia’s birth, Kimberly said that despite an easy pregnancy, the birth was difficult. Of the couple’s six children, Olivia is the only one born in a hospital.

“We were one of those couples who were into natural childbirth,” James said. “Kimberly did it as naturally as she could, but at the end of the day we were very glad to be at the hospital.”

The following February, James spoke to PEOPLE about life with the 5-month-old, saying, “She’s brilliant. She’s already easily smarter than daddy! Way smarter than me!”

James Van Der Beek Instagram

Now 13, Olivia and her younger brother Joshua have begun to understand their father’s fame – and James has Dawson’s Creek meme to thank for that.

“For a little online learning, we got them iPads and they discovered memes right away,” James told PEOPLE in 2022. “That’s how it started, my oldest sent me a meme of himself.”

The father-of-six followed up with an “I’m dancing or something” meme, to which Olivia responded with James’ funny crying face. “She immediately hit me with a crying face…I thought, ‘That’s aggressive.’ ”

Olivia made her television debut in February 2024 when she and her dad competed We are a familya game where one member of a celebrity’s family sings on stage and the judges have to guess their famous relative before that relative appears to turn their performance into a duet.

On the show, James and Olivia sang LeAnne Womack’s song, “I Hope You Dance,” and he later took to Instagram to share clips of their experience and how proud he was of his daughter after she performed in front of an audience for the first time.

“I’m so proud of my baby girl. And I call her that because when I looked at her tonight, all I could see was a newborn in a cradle that I couldn’t stop staring at in awe,” he wrote.

Joshua Van Der Beek, 12

Kimberly Van Der Beek’s Instagram

James and Kimberly welcomed their second child, Joshua Van Der Beek, at home on March 13, 2012.

When Kimberly was 37 weeks pregnant with Joshua, she discovered the baby was breech. The doctor told her she would need a C-section if the baby didn’t turn – which was upsetting. In an essay for PEOPLE, Kimberly revealed that she met another doctor who was very skilled at delivering babies with breech.

Since the doctor only delivered at home or in the maternity ward, she opted for a home birth, writing, “At 7:42 Joshua was born in James’ arms in our bed as the sun was rising. Yes, it was painful. But it was also calm and perfect.”

After Joshua was born, James told PEOPLE that his free time is non-existent with two kids, but that being a father is “the best.”

He then told how both children had different personalities. “The biggest surprise is how different they are right out of the gate. They come out with their own thing,” he said. “My son is a thinker. You can already see that.”

James Van Der Beek Instagram

Based on his parents’ Instagram posts, Joshua appears to be a fan of Spider-Man, wearing Spider-Man t-shirts and overalls. He also inherited James’ passion for the Green Bay Packers and attended the 2022 game at Lambeau Field with his father.

Like older sister Olivia, Joshua began to take on his father’s stardom.

“My son can smell when we walk into a restaurant and someone recognizes me — a skill that took me 20 years to learn,” James told PEOPLE. “And he just realizes, ‘Dad, those ladies at the table right now? They know.’ It is interesting.”

Annabel Leah Van Der Beek, 10

Kimberly Van Der Beek’s Instagram

On January 25, 2014, James and Kimberly welcomed their third child, Annabel Leah Van Der Beek.

James revealed her name almost a week after she was born during an appearance on Conversation, explaining that he and Kimberly feel they need to get to know her before deciding on a name. He also said they decided not to reveal the gender until the day she was born, saying, “We thought it would be fun to do it the old fashioned way.”

At first, the actor thought having three children would be difficult, but after Annabel’s arrival, James told PEOPLE that it turned out to be easier for her than expected. He said the little one “decided to take it easy on us.”

He added: “I think she’s probably our easiest baby. I think she knew we couldn’t handle more than that.”

James Van Der Beek Instagram

James also took to social media to praise his middle child’s sense of adventure and spontaneity. When she turned 3, the couple threw Annabel a unique purple Batman-themed birthday party.

A few years later, she decided on a bold hairstyle that surprised and impressed him. In an Instagram video, James shared that his daughter, who was 5 at the time, wanted to get an undercut and shave one side of her head.

James continued to praise her, writing in the caption, “I don’t know if my parents would ever let me do this… because I don’t know if I would even have the balls to do it. VanDerBeek2.0 ❤️.”

Annabel celebrated her 10th birthday in January 2024, and James shared a snap of the two together on Instagram to mark the occasion, writing that he felt “incredibly lucky” to be her father.

As soon as we met you, I knew we were in for an adventure, he wrote. “And while you obviously know how to have fun…I admire the purity of your heart. Your honesty, your kindness, and the depth with which you care are so reliable that they set the bar for the whole family.”

Emilia Van Der Beek, 8

Kimberly Van Der Beek’s Instagram

On March 23, 2016, James and Kimberly welcomed their fourth child, Emilia Van Der Beek, at their home in LA

James shared the news of his third daughter’s arrival on Instagram two days later, writing: “Crazy how deeply you can fall in love with someone you’ve just met 😍.”

Emilia made her social media debut the following year when James shared a sweet birthday tribute on Instagram. “One year ago today, I met this sweet, determined, magical little soul,” he wrote.

James Van Der Beek Instagram

In 2021, James and Kimberly discovered that then four-year-old Emilia had to go to the emergency room after injuring her head. “Emilija hit her head on the table. It should have been taped…”, the mom wrote on her Instagram Story.

In another post, Kimberly shared, “She breathed through it all, and the doctors and nurses here have had a 💯 percent success rate with us in handling situations with fully informed decisions, kindness and care.”

Gwendolyn Van Der Beek, 5

James Van Der Beek Instagram

James and Kimberly welcomed their youngest daughter and fifth child, Gwendolyn Van Der Beek, on June 15, 2018. Like her three older siblings, Gwendolyn was born at home with a doctor and midwife present.

In a statement to PEOPLE confirming the birth of his fifth child, James said, “Each child brings out a different energy in you… and this rings true since we found out he was on the way.”

According to James, being the father of four girls opened his mind to what manhood really means. He shared a photo of Gwendolyn giving him a pink manicure on Instagram, writing, “#Parenting perk: Unleashing surprises from limiting belief systems.”

James also gave her a sweet greeting on social media for her fourth birthday, writing: “You are such a big personality and you rule so much of the world around you.”

James Van Der Beek Instagram

In September 2020, the Van Der Beek family moved from their home in LA to Texas.

Speaking with Austin Lifestyle, James shared more about their decision to move. “We wanted to take the kids out of Los Angeles. We wanted to give them space and we wanted them to live in nature.”

“It’s expansive and nature will embrace you and heal you,” Kimberly added, recounting how the couple had experienced two late-term miscarriages and felt like the move would be healing.

About two years later, the Van Der Beeks celebrated Gwendolyn’s 4th birthday with a tea party and piñata. “Thank you for being so sensational, little one. So different. You too. And for taking us on the ride of our lives,” James wrote on Instagram.

Jeremiah Van Der Beek, 1

Kimberly Van Der Beek’s Instagram

Jeremiah Van Der Beek was born in October 2021 on the couple’s ranch in Texas.

The following month, James announced the birth of his sixth child on Instagram, writing: “Humbled and overjoyed to announce the safe, happy arrival of Jeremiah Van Der Beek ❤️ (We called him Remi, btw – not “dinosaur” 🥰 ).”

The couple had previously spoken openly about pregnancy losses, which had a huge impact on them. “We kept this one quiet,” he continued. – Honestly, I was terrified when I found out.

According to James, having another child was something they had “serious questions about”. In an interview with PEOPLE, Kimberly said, “The biggest concern was having enough one-on-one time with each child. And it’s getting incredibly expensive to travel. But we really felt that another child was knocking on our door.”

James Van Der Beek Instagram

She further said, “When we look at our children, they are a tribe and they take care of each other.”

“It can be exhausting,” James said of parenting a large family. “But we love chaos!”

In February 2023, James and Kimberly gave fans a glimpse of what it’s like to travel with their family of eight on Instagram. The actor shared photos and videos of the adventure on the plane, including a family selfie on the bridge of the jet.

“It occurred to me today, as @vanderkimberly and I managed more tiny people than I ever thought possible…that any excuse to single-mindedly focus on those you love most is actually a vacation: from all the stress and ‘ priorities ‘constantly nibble at the back of my consciousness, vying for my attention,’ James wrote in a lengthy candid caption.

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Source: HIS Education