Dancing with the Stars contestant James Van Der Beek made a special announcement on last night’s episode. He and his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, are expecting their sixth child together!

The couple chose to make the announcement on the latest DWTS episode. James shared, “We chose to have our first ultrasound on camera with our #DWTS crew capturing the result – something I NEVER thought we’d ever do.” In the caption of his photo, he went on to share some very personal details. “Kimberly and I have been through three of those first appointments to discover either no heartbeat, or no baby, and she wanted to share this moment. Miscarriage (a word that needs a replacement – nobody failed to “carry”, these things sometimes just happen) is something that people rarely talk about, and often go through in secret. But there needs to be zero shame around it, or around giving yourself the time and space to grieve. We decided to put ourselves out there – not knowing what we’d find – in an effort to chip away at any senseless stigma around this experience and to encourage people who might be going through it to open themselves up to love & support from friends and family when they need it most.” We love that this happy couple has chosen to voice their own experiences with miscarriage. It’s something many people suffer in silence.

James and Kimberly have grown such a beautiful family together. The Dawson’s Creek star married his wife in 2010 and have since welcomed 5 children into the world. They have four sweet daughters, Olivia, 9, Annabel Leah, 5, Emilia, 3, and their youngest, Gwendolyn, born in 2018. They have one handsome son named Joshua, who is 7.

We’re elated for this big family and so happy they are going to welcome another precious child!

Kate Fann (she/her) is the BabyNames.com celebrity blogger, as well as an established content writer, aspiring author, and social media expert. She has been featured in online publications such as Bolde, ManoByte, Medium, The Social Observer, and more. Kate has ghostwritten numerous romance novels and is currently working on publishing her own works in the Young Adult genre.

Kate lives in East Tennessee with her husband Casey and her two sons, Quinn and Noah. When she's not writing or scrolling Instagram, Kate can be found tasting delicious wines, playing with make-up, baking yummy treats, or hiking the beautiful Smoky Mountains.