News broke Wednesday that long-time Star Trek franchise favorite William Shatner was hospitalized after a medical emergency at his home. According to a report from TMZ, the Captain Kirk actor “experienced an issue with his blood sugar” while at home and paramedics were called as a precaution. Though the actor’s agent told the outlet that Shatner was, “Fine,” news still spread about his condition online leading many to worry about his status as no news was shared. As the new day has started and reports of Shatner’s health have spread further, the actor himself had something to say about it.
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A prolific poster on X, formerly Twitter, Shatner took to the social media site to calm fans and squash news that what happened last night was perhaps more serious than it was. In his post, Shatner wrote: “I over indulged. I thank you all for caring but I’m perfectly fine. I keep telling you all: don’t trust tabloids or AI! 😉” Shatner accompanied the message with a photo of him from an episode of Murdoch Mysteries where he played Mark Twain, itself including another caption that added: “Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated!”
Though it’s unclear if news of Shatner’s health emergency somehow evolved on social media into rumors that he had died, it wouldn’t be the first time that such an event had occurred with him. Back in 2018 a false story spread on Facebook that the actor had passed away, prompting another response on Twitter from Shatner. But it didn’t stop there either, with death hoaxes about the T.J. Hooker star. In 2023, another one started after a poorly created YouTube video claiming Shatner died in a car accident was picked up by Twitter accounts. Even last year a Microsoft AI listed him as being dead, naturally he responded to that one as well.
Shatner, 94, continues to perform as well, lending his voice to animated shows as recently as last year’s Masters of the Universe: Revolution and even appearing as himself in an episode of The Big Bang Theory back in 2019. The actor also remains active on the con circuit, continuing to meet with fans and discuss his legacy as a performer and the series at panels around the world.
The actor also made headlines just a few years ago when he was part of a group that flew aboard on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space shuttle. Shatner, 90 at the time, becam the oldest person ever to fly in space, further cementing his place in history.
Best known for playing Captain Kirk in Star Trek, a role he carried across all three seasons of the original series, plus the animated series, seven feature films, and a number of video games as well. Just last year Shatner returned to the series in a surprising way, his likeness being used for a short about Captain James T. Kirk and Commander Spock. The short film was created in collaboration with the Nimoy Estate and Shatner himself. Fan response to the video was overwhelming, with many seeing it as a fitting tribute to the two stars and perhaps even marking a proper end point for both characters in the franchise at large.
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