The actor revealed the exciting news during week four of the dance competition show on Monday.
Congrats are in order for James Van Der Beek!
The former Dawson's Creek star announced on Monday's Dancing With the Stars that he and his wife, Kimberly, are expecting their sixth child together.
James revealed the news in his pre-taped interview package, saying, "We're so excited. There's a new little Van Der Beek in there!"
While sharing the news with his partner, Emma Slater, he also brought up how hearing the baby's heartbeat is something "you never take for granted," as his wife had three previous miscarriages. The two are also parents to Olivia, 9, Joshua, 7, Annabel, 5, Emilia, 3 and Gwendolyn, 1.
"Six babies, James!" Emma replied. "Is that because she saw your rumba?"
Emma told James that their routine would be perfect this week, as it was a "joyous" quickstep to "Walking on Sunshine." The two received a 28/40 from the judges.
After the show, James and Emma spoke with ET's Lauren Zima backstage, and the actor opened up about how his kids feel about the news, and coming out to support him during his time on the show.
"The kids are excited, they are so psyched," James said. "There's a ton of joy."
Addressing the pre-taped package, in which DWTS cameras were invited into the doctor's office for Kimberly's ultrasound, James admitted, "We really legitimately had no idea what we would get when we went to that appointment."
"We brought the camera crew, because we wanted to encourage people to be open about the experience," he shared, adding that, after the big news, he felt "really excited."
The star also touched on his candid discussion about his family's past struggles with expanding their family, and dealing with miscarriages, explaining that he feels it's important to be open and honest and seek support.
"People go through it in secret so often, and I think it's just so much better when you can open up and you get the support of friends and family," he shared.
The exciting news of the forthcoming addition to the Van Der Beek family has also had an impact on Emma, who is married to fellow DWTS pro Sasha Farber.
"Sasha and I definitely have baby fever," Emma explained, excitedly. The dancer said that they might start trying for a baby of their own "late next year."
James first revealed the news via Instagram, writing, "Thrilled beyond belief to announce that another little bundle of joy has picked us to be their family."
"We chose to have our first ultrasound on camera with our #DWTS crew capturing the result - something I NEVER thought we’d ever do... but @vanderkimberly 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," he explained. "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," he continued. "Happily, for us - this time- we walked out with tears of joy. #AndThenIDancedAQuickStep."
See more from James' DWTS journey in the video below.
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