With his long career, William Shatner has often found himself at the center of viral stories. Recently, stories have come out about the star’s health. Since then, Shatner himself has taken to social media to address these stories in multiple posts.
William Shatner Has Become Known For Many Roles Over The Years, From Captain Kirk To The Priceline Mascot
As an actor, Shatner is best known for playing Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise. In addition to playing the character throughout the original series, he has also reprised the role in a number of media, from the animated series to the Star Trek movies.
Over the years, Shatner has also been known for his work on T.J. Hooker and Boston Legal. He also became known in the advertising world as the pitchman for Priceline.com.
With a career spanning decades, Shatner has often been the subject of viral stories. In particular, he was the subject of recent rumors claiming that he was dealing with a brain cancer diagnosis.
Taking to social media, Shatner recently shared that his health concerns had been greatly exaggerated by the stories. This was in response to an unverified Facebook page, posing as a South African event planner, that appeared to use AI-generated images of Shatner that showed him in dire health.
Shatner Revealed That His Daughter Alerted Him About The Story
First taking to X, Shatner revealed that his daughter brought the viral rumors to his attention, claiming that he “had brain cancer.” The post included a photo of the actor smiling, which had been taken by his daughter, to reassure fans that he was alright.
As Shatner himself noted, “The people who are ill are those that are spreading these ridiculous stories. I’m fit as a fiddle. You don’t have to worry.”
My Daughter came over to tell me her daughter heard that I had brain cancer. 🙄 She took this photo and sent it to me to upload to prove I’m not ill. The people who are ill are those that are spreading these ridiculous stories. I’m fit as a fiddle. You don’t have to worry. pic.twitter.com/r1uAWHiuwM
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) April 2, 2026
Later, the actor took to Instagram to share more about the story. As he explained, “There is a page on @facebook that is using AI to create horrible fake news stories about me. The page is by The Beanstalk Functions Group, which is allegedly an Event Planner in South Africa.”
Shatner explained that the stories, which he claimed were monetized, claimed he had “stage 4 brain cancer, was in some kind of fight with Erika Kirk, and that I’m dying.” He also claimed that he contacted Facebook Support for help, but noted that they “will not remove the page.”
Shatner continued, “This is the downside of AI and yellow journalism. While [it] can be a wonderful tool in the right hands. It can be used as a weapon in the wrong hands.”
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John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.