"Dawson's Creek" Stars Engaged

James Van Der Beek and Kerr Smith each confirm their engagements; no word on wedding dates

By Marcus Errico Feb 20, 2002 6:00 PMTags
There's got to be something in the water at Dawson's Creek: Show stars James Van Der Beek and Kerr Smith each confirmed to E! News Daily Tuesday that they were engaged.

Van Der Beek, who plays the titular Dawson Leery, is off the market after proposing to his girlfriend of two years, actress Heather McComb.

Last summer, the tabloids jumped the gun on the Van Der Beek-McComb coupling, erroneously reporting the twosome were ready to get hitched in December.

While Van Der Beek's publicist, Cindy Guagenti, could not say the exact date of the question-popping, she did say the Dawson star broke out the ring "recently." No wedding date has been set.

Van Der Beek, who turns 25 March 8, shot to fame with the launch of the WB's Dawson's Creek in 1998. His films include Varsity Blues, Texas Rangers and The Rules of Attraction, which is slated for release later this year. McComb, who's six days older than her fiancé, played Julia's roommate Maggie in Party of Five and was in the HBO movie If These Walls Could Talk 2, which coincidentally costarred Dawson's Creek's Michelle Williams. Her other TV credits include episodes of The X-Files, NYPD Blue and The Practice.

Meanwhile, Smith--who plays Dawson's Creek resident gay character, Jack McPhee--is ready to tie the knot with actress Harmoni Everett.

Everett (who made her big-screen debut with a bit part in Josie and the Pussycats) and Smith met on while he was shooting a film in Canada. They became engaged over the holidays, according to Smith's publicist, Pam Sharp.

Smith, 29, made TV history in 2000 by locking lips with his Dawson's Creek boyfriend in the season finale--the first romantic kiss involving two gay characters on a broadcast network show.

The actor got his start on the CBS daytime soap As the World Turns before landing his Dawson gig. His big-screen résumé includes the teen horror flicks Final Destination and The Forsaken.

Let's hope the future is a bit more certain for the Dawson lovebirds than it is for Dawson's Creek. Although the actors are signed for another season of the angstfest, the WB has yet to decide whether to bring back the show for a fifth season. A decision will be announced by May.