Star Trek actor William Shatner slams “horrible fake” AI posts claiming he has terminal cancer

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I was so shocked to hear about these awful fake posts going around! Apparently, someone used AI to create things claiming William Shatner – Captain Kirk himself! – has stage four brain cancer. And to make it even worse, they said Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, insulted him. It’s just terrible that someone would do that to such a legend, and it’s really upsetting to see these kinds of lies spreading online.

William Shatner is most famous for his role as Captain Kirk in the popular Star Trek series, which began in 1965. He last officially played the character in the 1994 film Star Trek Generations, though he’s said he’d consider making a brief appearance in the future.

Despite being 95 years old, the Canadian actor is still working and recently joined the cast of the new show, Family Tree. However, rumors about his health have surfaced recently, with some posts claiming he is seriously ill.

Furthermore, the people spreading these rumors used AI to create fake images as evidence. William Shatner has not only denied the claims – which included strange stories about Melania Trump – but has also worked to get the false content taken down.

William Shatner calls out AI “fake news” posts

I was so relieved to see Sir Patrick Stewart address those rumors on his social media yesterday! He made it clear that everything the Facebook page was posting was completely false and called it all out as just awful, made-up stories. It’s great to see him setting the record straight.

I delayed posting about this until today because of the date and to avoid it seeming like a prank. Someone created a Facebook page that’s using AI to generate false and damaging stories about me. The page is operated by a group called The Beanstalk Functions Group…

— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) April 2, 2026

Shatner said he’d wanted to share the news yesterday, but he held off because it was April Fool’s Day and he didn’t want anyone to assume it was a prank.

He reported that a Facebook page is spreading false stories about him using artificial intelligence. The page is run by The Beanstalk Functions Group, which claims to be an event planning company based in South Africa, and he shared a link to it.

People have been spreading false stories about me, claiming I have stage four brain cancer, got into a fight with Erika Kirk, and am near death. These stories are being used to make money, and many of them feature an AI-generated image of me.

He explained that each story included a link built with Next.js, a popular web development tool. He also posted separately, tagging the company’s CEO and requesting they take down the false stories.

It’s crazy – none of those stories you’re seeing about me are actually true. But people are still sharing them online and sending my family and me supportive messages, which is really nice, I guess. The really frustrating part is that whoever is making these up is actually profiting from it all.

AI and sensationalized news can be a double-edged sword. It’s a powerful tool when used responsibly, but it can easily be misused to spread false information. So, if you come across a strange story about me, don’t believe it unless you see it confirmed on my official, verified social media accounts.

Fake stories remain online despite removal efforts

Shatner has continued to post updates and reply to messages on X, attempting to address the issue. He initially stated that Facebook support wouldn’t remove the problematic page, but it has since been taken down.

Here’s an update: Facebook took down the problematic page, but Vercel – the company behind Next.js – says they don’t see a reason to remove the fake AI-generated stories that were posted. Their terms and conditions…

— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) April 3, 2026

Despite efforts to address the issue, false stories are still circulating online. These include a completely untrue claim that he has been diagnosed with an aggressive and advanced form of brain cancer, and another false report that Melania Trump wanted actor William Shatner to be permanently silenced.

A third bizarrely accuses Erika Kirk of telling Shatner, “Sit down, you 60-year-old rock star.” 

William Shatner shared an update on April 3rd: while Facebook did take down the fake page, Guillermo Rauch, the CEO of Vercel (the company behind Next.js), said they can’t find a reason to remove the AI-generated stories that were originally posted on it. It’s unclear who created the page.

He shared Vercel’s terms and conditions, adding that he was surprised the reported issues weren’t considered violations. He pointed out that section #4 prohibits fraudulent activity, and section #5 prevents sharing protected health information under HIPAA.

It seems like spreading a false story about me having brain cancer isn’t covered by privacy laws, and AI-generated photos showing me sick in a hospital definitely aren’t a privacy breach.

My granddaughter heard a rumor that I have brain cancer, which my daughter found out about. She even took a picture of me and asked me to share it online to prove I’m perfectly healthy. Honestly, the people starting these kinds of stories are the ones who need concern, not me! I’m doing great, so there’s no need to worry.

— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) April 2, 2026

Shatner is still pointing out the false stories shared on his platform to make sure his fans understand they aren’t true. He expects that since the inaccurate posts aren’t being taken down, someone will likely create a new Facebook page to continue spreading them.

It was so shocking to hear how he found out! Apparently, his granddaughter overheard something about him having brain cancer and told his daughter, who then had to break the news to him. Can you imagine? It must have been a really difficult way to learn about something so serious.

She sent me this picture to show I’m perfectly healthy. The ones who are actually sick are the people making up these silly rumors. I feel great, so there’s no need to be concerned.

The Star Trek actor has been receiving lots of support and has told his fans he’s doing alright. When someone called the situation “laughable if it weren’t so distasteful and vulgar,” Shatner replied that you just have to find the humor in how strange it is, and that he’ll be okay.

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2026-04-03 13:24