Iconic Star Trek actor William Shatner was allegedly hospitalized on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, after a medical emergency.
The Boston Legal actor, who is 94, reportedly was rushed to the hospital after experiencing an issue with his blood sugar late Wednesday afternoon while at home in Los Angeles, California, and called 911 for help as a safety precaution.
TMZ was the first to report the news. According to the website, Harry Gold, Shatner’s agent, told them, “Shatner called emergency medical service workers for help as a precaution, and paramedics showed up in an LAFD ambulance. Shatner was transported to a local hospital to get checked out and was already back home, Gold said, adding … ‘He’s fine.'”
On X (formerly Twitter), the former Rescue 911 host confirmed the reports of his hospitalization on Thursday, September 25, 2025. He wrote that although he is “perfectly fine” now, he “over indulged.” Poking fun at TMZ (something the outlet itself noted in its article on the news), the post was accompanied by an image saying, “Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.”
Shatner originated the character of Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek: The Original Series in 1966. However, the actor infamously expressed his desire to move on from the franchise in a 1986 skit on Saturday Night Live titled “Star Trek Convention.” That being said, the actor returned to Star Trek before the 1980s ended, reprising the role of Kirk in the 1989 film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and again in Futurama‘s Star Trek parody “Where No Fan Has Gone Before.”
Not so famously (but two of my favorites of his roles), Shatner also appeared on Columbo, alongside the great Peter Falk. The two-time guest murderer first appeared in the 1976 episode “Fade in to Murder,” and then returned 18 years later in “Butterfly in Shades of Grey.” He told The Columbophile Blog, “I felt honored to be asked to be on Columbo. It was a prestigious show in the public consciousness.”
In 2024, Shatner revealed that he had beaten stage 4 melanoma, despite a dire prognosis. “They said if this [treatment] they used did not work, I had about 5 months,” he explained to Healio in March 2024, adding, “That person who said ‘sorry’ … was very sad, like, ‘You are going to die.’ And I was.”
Understandably, in recent years, the TJ Hooker actor has been reflecting on his life and legacy. For example, his 2023 documentary, You Can Call Me Bill, was intended to be a way to tell his story to his grandchildren when he dies. “I’ve turned down a lot of offers to do documentaries before. But I don’t have long to live,” he told Variety. “Whether I keel over as I’m speaking to you or 10 years from now, my time is limited, so that’s very much a factor.”
In his younger years, Shanter was considered somewhat difficult by fans. But following his 2021 trip to outer space on Jeff Bezos‘ Blue Origin shuttler, he seems to have had a change of heart. Describing the overview effect‘s impact on him, he said, “the most profound experience I can imagine.”
And this impact can be seen in his changed relationship with the Star Trek fandom, where he has now publicly accepted his place in history and legacy. For Father’s Day in 2023, America’s original daddy—as Shatner was sometimes called among fan circles—officially passed his “Internet Daddy” baton to actor and trans rights activist Pedro Pascal.
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Source: TMZ
