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 arrive 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 number of fake stories circulating online about him. As he noted, he desired to post on April 1 but feared followers would take it as an April Idiot’s Day joke.
“There may be a page on @facebook that’s using AI to create horrible fake news stories about me,” Shatner wrote, adding the page he was referring to: Beanstalk Functions. The actor added, “That is the downside of AI and yellow journalism. While it might probably be an exquisite tool in the suitable hands, it might probably be used as a weapon within the fallacious hands.”
On X, Shatner wrote, “My daughter got here over to inform me her daughter heard that I had brain cancer.” He accompanied the post with a photograph of himself that his daughter took as proof that he’s 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.” One other was an AI-generated photo of the actor on a hospital bed, smiling. One other post read, “Erika Kirk Insults William Shatner: ‘Sit down, you 60-year-old rock star’.”
“None of those stories are true but they apparently seem real 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 earn cash,” Shatner wrote.
The Beanstalk Functions profile claims it’s a Cape Town, South Africa-based events company. “We’re here to assist you to Have fun, 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, nonetheless, the Facebook page was now not available.
The actor did some deep research and said the stories from Beanstalk Functions were linked to a web site 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. Nonetheless, he was told, “the corporate cannot see a reason” to remove them, as he shared on X.
Shatner identified Vercel’s Terms and Conditions, citing sections about fraud, scams, and HIPAA violations. “I assume 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 a lot of his own stunts in his decades-long profession, said he tried to minimize the impact as he went down, but he still sustained an injury. “I began 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 ninety fifth Birthday
Shatner is showing no signs of slowing down. On March 22, the veteran actor celebrated his ninety fifth birthday, sharing a photograph of himself smoking a cigar on social media. “At 95, I’m still smokin’! I’ve learned two things: Never waste an excellent cigar. Never trust anyone who says it is best to ‘act your age,’” he captioned the post.
Shatner stays lively and shall be on the “William Shatner Continue to exist Stage” tour this April. After a screening of “Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan,” the actor will share anecdotes from his long profession and have interaction with audiences. He can also be currently working with among the biggest names in heavy metal on his upcoming album.