James Van Der Beek's Texas Freeze Experience Was So Unexpected & Dealt With It Like A Celeb

He even met a stranger in a parking lot for an equipment trade.

James Van Der Beek in a beanie and scarf. Right: Van Der Beek fixing his chimney.

James Van Der Beek in a beanie and scarf. Right: Van Der Beek fixing his chimney.

Texas Staff Writer

We love when celebrities move to Texas because we get a glimpse of how they make their lives here, and particularly how they deal with the state's interesting weather.

Actor James Van Der Beek moved to Austin, TX in 2020, and since then, he's provided us with funny commentary on life in the Lone Star State — including, but not limited to, his hatred for our fire ants — and we're so here for it.

He recently shared his experience before the most recent freeze on social media, and the story, which includes meeting a complete stranger, is just too good not to share.

@vanderjames

Continue to appreciate the way Texans go about being neighborly. #Freeze #WoodburningStove #DIY #goodneighbors

In the Dawson's Creek star's TikTok video, he revealed he needed some tools to get his wood-burning stove to work before the frigid, below-freezing temperatures hit the state.

This included what he called a "drug deal for fireplace parts" that required meeting a complete stranger who had what he needed the ol' Texas way: via trade-off in a parking lot.

"Yes, I used whatever celebrity I have to convince someone to meet me in a parking lot," he joked.

Van Der Beek and the stranger he met.Van Der Beek and the stranger he met.vanderjames | TikTok

The parking lot trade was successful, and the actor and his family got to enjoy nice fires for the three days of the year a person can actually use a fireplace here.

TikTok users are now joking about how the celeb went about obtaining the part.

"That is also how you buy tamales in Texas," a user wrote, to which Van Der Beek replied with a laughing emoji.

  • Staff Writer

    Brittany Cristiano (she/her) was Narcity USA's first full-time Texas Staff Writer. She's a lifelong Houstonian but enjoys every corner of the Lone Star State. Brittany is passionate about highlighting the beauty and rarities in the places we live in or visit–whether it’s showing North American readers something they never knew existed in the South, or helping Texans appreciate the beauty that’s been there the whole time. Oh, and she also loves to spill the tea on the latest trending figures in Texas and beyond. She previously served as an Editorial Intern for Houstonia magazine and as Editor-in-Chief of the University of St. Thomas’ student newspaper.

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