Weeks after undergoing surgery after a horrific horse accident, William Shatner took to Facebook groups to claim he was dying of cancer.
“I wanted to announce this yesterday, but due to the day and the possibility of it being seen as a joke, I decided to wait until today,” Shatner wrote on Facebook on Thursday, referring to April Fool’s Day.
“There’s a page on Facebook that’s using AI to create horrible fake news stories about me,” he added, blaming the Beanstalk Feature Group for creating “articles about me having stage 4 brain cancer, some kind of fight with Erica Kirk, and that I’m going to die.”
He added, “All of their stories are monetized. Most of them use my AI images.”
The “Star Trek” legend also claimed that Facebook “will not take down the page” and said he has contacted the group’s “CEO” through X and publicly asked him to remove the false content.
“None of these stories are true, but they seem real enough for fans to repost on social media and send messages of support to me and my family while the culprits behind the accounts are making money,” Shatner wrote.
Shatner, 95, concluded his post by writing, “This is the downside of AI and yellow journalism: AI can be a great tool when used correctly, but when used incorrectly, it can be used as a weapon.”
“If you see a strange story about me, take it with a grain of salt, unless you see it posted to my verified account.”
The social media group reached out to Page Six for comment on Thursday, but did not immediately receive a response.
The Beanstalk Functions Group appears to have been churning out articles focusing on Shatner since the beginning of this month, including a post claiming that Shatner “shared an unforgettable raw photo from his hospital bed, ending weeks of frenzied speculation.”
The photos of Shatner connected to various medical devices appear to have been generated by AI. In another AI post, the iconic actor was seen unveiling an eerily lifelike statue of himself on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Yet another post, which appeared to be AI-generated, featured a photo of him crying, claiming he had “publicly revealed a health battle he has endured in secret.”
Additional AI photos showed the Boston Legal alum clutching his Academy Award, with the accompanying text claiming that he “won the ‘Best Actor’ award at the 2026 Academy Awards for his deep and heartfelt performance in the gripping drama ‘Echoes of Time.'”
In fact, this honor went to Michael B. Jordan’s “Sinners” at a ceremony on March 15th.
Shatner’s social media statement comes weeks after he revealed he needed surgery to repair damage to his right shoulder sustained in a horseback riding accident late last year.
The actor told Page Six at the 53rd Saturn Awards in Burbank, Calif., that he plans to undergo “a new type of shoulder surgery called reverse something” in March.
Previously, in September, Shatner reportedly suffered a medical emergency at his Los Angeles home, according to TMZ.
Shatner later lamented his “highly exaggerated…death” via X, insisting he was “perfectly fine” with what was said to be a blood sugar-related issue.
Back in December 2021, the “UnXplained” host was involved in a car accident in Los Angeles.
Photos from the Studio City scene showed that both Shatner’s black Mercedes-Benz SUV and the silver Acura sedan involved were damaged in the Ventura Boulevard crash.
A Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told Page Six at the time that authorities did not file an accident report because no one was injured in the crash.
Officials said the actor and the unidentified woman were exchanging information at the scene.
