Don’t you worry your space boots off about William Shatner. The legendary actor himself has confirmed he’s doing just fine.
“I overdid it,” Shatner, who is 94 years old, shared on Instagram on Thursday, September 25. This came after news reports of his hospitalization. “I thank everyone for their concern, but I’m perfectly fine!” He added a bit of a classic Shatner jab: “I keep telling you: don’t trust tabloid press or artificial intelligence!”
He even posted a funny picture of himself dressed as the writer Mark Twain. The meme playfully read, “The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated!” It was a nod to Twain’s famous, slightly misquoted line.
News outlets widely reported that Shatner had been rushed to the hospital on Wednesday, September 24. The concern arose from a problem with his blood sugar level. TMZ was the first to break the story. They reported he went to the hospital from his Los Angeles home for a check-up. Entertainment reports noted that Us Weekly had contacted Shatner’s representative at the time.
This health scare happened a few months after Shatner openly talked about some “bad habits” he enjoys. He told Us Weekly about staying up late. “Sometimes I record something during the day that I want to watch at night,” he said then. “By the time I finish watching it, it’s two in the morning.” He joked about getting enough sleep, saying, “I think the trick, apparently, is to sleep six or seven hours, hopefully at regular times.”
Shatner first shot to stardom playing Captain James T. Kirk in the ‘Star Trek’ universe. That iconic role debuted in 1966. He appeared in seven ‘Star Trek’ movies and a number of TV shows. He still has strong feelings about the franchise.
In January, Shatner told Us that the recent continuation of the franchise is “phenomenal.” He described it as “like a good seed planted everywhere.” The ‘Star Trek’ universe has “enough possibilities for growth,” he explained. “Once some writers take it, they can invent all sorts of wonderful things.”
William Shatner, 1986 Courtesy Everett Collection
He also expressed surprise that the franchise has now lasted 60 years. “This show is simply phenomenal,” he stated. “In reality, it will be impossible to repeat during our lifetime.” He feels it would take “some entertainment existing for 60 years from now to equal what Star Trek has done.” Then, he mused, “we won’t be alive anymore.”
The next month, Shatner was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 52nd annual Saturn Awards in February. This was for his truly iconic character. “It’s an honor I am very happy to receive,” Shatner commented to Us about the recognition. “I have watched with pleasure how the organization has grown over the years, and for them to give a Lifetime Achievement Award again is fantastic.”