William Shatner is setting the record straight after false reports claimed the “Star Trek” actor was battling brain cancer.
The 95-year-old took to social media Thursday to debunk rumors spread by a Facebook page that used artificial intelligence to create fabricated stories about his health. The page, which posed as a wedding planning service, claimed Shatner was “battling for his life” with stage 5 glioblastoma.
“My daughter came over to tell me her daughter heard that I had brain cancer,” Shatner wrote alongside a photo of himself relaxing outside. “She took this photo and sent it to me to upload to prove I’m not ill.” The actor reassured fans he remains in good health.
“The people who are ill are those that are spreading these ridiculous stories,” he wrote. “I’m fit as a fiddle. You don’t have to worry.”
In a separate post, Shatner detailed how the page used AI to generate multiple false stories, including claims he had stage 4 brain cancer, was involved in a fight with Erika Kirk, and was dying. He noted the fabricated stories were monetized, and many used AI-generated images of him.
“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 actor called the situation the “downside of AI” and “yellow journalism,” noting that “while AI can be “a wonderful tool in the right hands; it can be used as a weapon in the wrong hands.”
By Thursday afternoon, the Facebook page was no longer accessible. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, told Entertainment Weekly the page had been removed for violating its policies.
Last month, Shatner confirmed at the 53rd annual Saturn Awards he underwent surgery to repair a shattered right shoulder after falling off one of his horses late last year.
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