Eric Dane’s Friend Defends GoFundMe as Euphoria Creator Makes Sizable Donation

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February was a difficult month for fans of early 2000s television, with the passing of James Van Der Beek and Eric Dane. Following their deaths, friends of both actors set up GoFundMe campaigns to help their families.

Actor Joshua Jackson, known for his role in Dawson’s Creek, revealed he had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2023, sharing the news publicly in 2024. The cancer treatment created significant financial hardship for him. Shortly after the passing of his Grey’s Anatomy colleague, friends launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with his expenses, which drew some criticism, prompting a friend to explain the reasoning behind it.

Mike McGuiness used Instagram to explain why he started a fundraiser to help the actor who was battling ALS. He shared photos from a trip they took to Tokyo together and talked about the financial difficulties the actor was facing.

Eric Dane’s Finances Were Affected by His ALS Battle

McGuiness shared that a difficult combination of Covid and ALS significantly impacted his friend’s ability to work and provide for his family as he’d planned. A GoFundMe campaign is being created to offer support, and McGuiness will share the link. He encouraged everyone to cherish their loved ones.

As of this publication, the fundraiser has quickly gathered over $201,000 from more than 1,400 donations. The largest contribution of $27,000 came from Sam Levinson, the creator of Euphoria, and his wife, Ashley. Tony Phelan, a producer on Grey’s Anatomy, also donated $5,000. The campaign aims to reach a total of $250,000.

This campaign aims to offer long-term support for Eric’s daughters during this challenging period and beyond. Dane is remembered by his wife, Rebecca, and their two daughters, Billie and Georgia.

James Van Der Beek’s GoFundMe Also Attracted Criticism

Both Van Der Beek and Dane were well-known TV stars, so the GoFundMe campaigns they launched recently received some criticism. Some people pointed out their fame and the fact that they likely receive royalties from past work. However, their popular shows aired in the 2000s, before streaming services were widely used, meaning their income streams might be different than those of actors today.

Lauren Graham, star of Gilmore Girls, has openly discussed the fact that despite the show’s continued popularity—even twenty years later—the cast didn’t benefit financially. James Van Der Beek shared a similar experience in 2014, revealing that he received no residual payments from Dawson’s Creek due to an unfavorable initial contract.

I’m so thrilled with how well the fundraising is going! We’ve already raised over $1.5 million! It’s amazing to see the support. We even got some really generous anonymous donations – one for $50,000 and another for $30,000! And I was so excited to hear Steven Spielberg, who Dawson Leery always loved, gave $25,000. Jon M. Chu donated $10,000, and Zoe Saldaña is contributing $2,500 every month – that’s incredible!

James Van Der Beek was able to put a down payment on a Texas ranch for his family thanks to contributions from friends, who helped set up a trust to allow them to move from renting to owning a home.

The reaction to this was pretty intense, and it quickly got to the point where Van Der Beek’s friend, Mehcad Brooks, felt he had to speak up. He didn’t hold back, basically telling critics they had no idea what they were talking about and were insensitive to the pain involved. He made it clear it’s okay to just stay silent when you don’t understand the full story – a pretty blunt, but understandable, defense of his friend.

We also thoroughly investigated the actor’s financial records and found that, even though he had standard health insurance through SAG which should have covered his medical care, he sought out other, non-traditional treatments.

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2026-02-22 01:15