William Shatner is alive and well. The veteran actor took the time to debunk fake news circulating about him online, assuring his fans that he isn’t dying of cancer while also shutting down other false claims. Shatner called out the source of the unfounded rumors and warned fans to take stories about him with a grain of salt unless they come directly from him.
William Shatner Is Not Dying Of Stage 4 Brain Cancer
On April 2, the “Star Trek” actor took to social media to alert his followers to a few fake stories circulating online about him. As he noted, he wanted to post on April 1 but feared followers would take it as an April Fool’s Day joke.
“There is a page on @facebook that is using AI to create horrible fake news stories about me,” Shatner wrote, adding the page he was referring to: Beanstalk Functions. The actor added, “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.”
On X, Shatner wrote, “My daughter came over to tell me her daughter heard that I had brain cancer.” He accompanied the post with a photo of himself that his daughter took as proof that he is doing well, saying he’s “fit as a fiddle.”
Some Fake News About The Actor
In his post, Shatner included screenshots of the news stories from the Beanstalk Functions page. One post read that he was “diagnosed with stage IV glioblastoma.” Another was an AI-generated photo of the actor on a hospital bed, smiling. Another post read, “Erika Kirk Insults William Shatner: ‘Sit down, you 60-year-old rock star’.”
“None of these stories are true but they apparently seem genuine enough for fans to repost them across social media and send messages of support to me and my family all while the culprits behind the account make money,” Shatner wrote.
The Beanstalk Functions profile claims it’s a Cape Town, South Africa-based events company. “We are here to help you Celebrate, Innovate, and Decorate,” it read.
The Facebook Page Has Been Taken Down
In his post, Shatner said that he has alerted Facebook Support, but they won’t take the page down. Hours later, however, the Facebook page was no longer available.
The actor did some deep research and said the stories from Beanstalk Functions were linked to a website hosted on Next.js. He contacted Guillermo Rauch, the CEO of Vercel, which oversees Next.js, asking him to “remove the posted fake AI stories” created by Beanstalk Functions. However, he was told, “the company cannot see a reason” to remove them, as he shared on X.
Shatner pointed out Vercel’s Terms and Conditions, citing sections about fraud, scams, and HIPAA violations. “I guess a fake story revealing I supposedly have brain cancer doesn’t fall under HIPAA?” the actor wrote.
The Actor Recently Underwent Surgery
While he isn’t battling cancer, Shatner recently had surgery on his shoulder. As The Blast reported in early March, he had a nasty fall while out riding his horse. He explained that his horse went too fast, which sent him flying off her back.
Shatner, who did many of his own stunts in his decades-long career, said he tried to lessen the impact as he went down, but he still sustained an injury. “I started to roll, but hit the dirt with my shoulder. So I wrecked my shoulder,” he explained.
After the surgery, Shatner updated his followers on social media, saying that the procedure went well.
William Shatner Just Celebrated His 95th Birthday
Shatner is showing no signs of slowing down. On March 22, the veteran actor celebrated his 95th birthday, sharing a photo of himself smoking a cigar on social media. “At 95, I’m still smokin’! I’ve learned two things: Never waste a good cigar. Never trust anyone who says you should ‘act your age,’” he captioned the post.
Shatner remains active and will be on the “William Shatner Live on Stage” tour this April. After a screening of “Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan,” the actor will share anecdotes from his long career and engage with audiences. He is also currently working with some of the biggest names in heavy metal on his upcoming album.