Weeks after undergoing surgery following a terrifying horse accident, William Shatner slammed a Facebook group for claiming he’s dying of cancer.
“I wanted to put this out yesterday but given the day and the possibility that it would look like a joke I waited for today,” Shatner wrote via Facebook on Thursday, referring to April Fools’ Day.
“There is a page on Facebook that is using AI to create horrible fake news stories about me,” he added, calling out “The Beanstalk Functions Group” for creating “stories that say I have stage 4 brain cancer, was in some kind of fight with Erika Kirk and that I’m dying.”
He added, “All their stories are monetized. Most of the stories use an AI image of me.”
The “Star Trek” legend also claimed that Facebook would “not remove the page” and said he’d been in touch with the group’s “CEO” via X, publicly asking them to remove the false content.
“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.
Shatner, 95, concluded the post by writing, “This is the downside of AI and yellow journalism. While it can be a wonderful tool in the right hands; it can be used as a weapon in the wrong hands.”
“If you see a bizarre story about me; unless you see it posted on one of my verified accounts take it with a grain of salt.” The social media group did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment on Thursday.
The Beanstalk Functions Group appeared to have published a lengthy spate of items focusing on Shatner beginning earlier this month — including a post claiming he “shared a hauntingly raw photo from a hospital bed, ending weeks of frantic speculation.”
The photo of Shatner hooked up to various medical devices appeared to be AI-generated. In another AI post, the iconic actor was seen unveiling a bizarrely lifelike statue of himself on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In yet another apparently AI-generated post, he was pictured crying, as the page claimed he “publicly revealed the health struggles he has quietly endured.”
An additional AI photo showed the “Boston Legal” alum clutching an Academy Award, as the accompanying text claimed he had “won ‘Best Actor’ at the 2026 Academy Awards for his deep, heartfelt performance in the gripping drama ‘Echoes of Time.'”
The honor, in fact, went to Michael B. Jordan for “Sinners” during the March 15 ceremony.
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Shatner’s social media statement comes several weeks after he revealed he needed surgery to repair a right shoulder injury sustained during a horse riding accident late last year.
The actor told Page Six at the 53rd annual Saturn Awards in Burbank, California, that he was scheduled to have a “new type of shoulder operation called a reverse something or other” in March.
Prior to that, in September, Shatner reportedly had a medical emergency at his home in Los Angeles, per TMZ.
Shatner later lamented his “greatly exaggerated … demise” via X and claimed he was “perfectly fine” following what was said to be an issue involving his blood sugar.
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 collision.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told Page Six at the time that authorities did not file an accident report, as no one was injured in the crash.
A source told us that the actor and unidentified woman exchanged information at the scene.
