Star Trek’ Icon William Shatner Reveals Painful Health Condition Linked to an On-Set Incident in His 30s

William Shatner has carved his legacy by spending over 70 years of his life in the entertainment world. Although he began his career in the late 1940s, Shatner’s 1966 role as Captain Kirk remains his most beloved. But during filming, he had no idea a painful condition would stay with him for life. In a recent video for nonprofit Tinnitus Quest, the 94-year-old actor candidly revealed a debilitating and permanent condition that began during his Star Trek days.

“My journey with Tinnitus started when I was filming a Star Trek episode called ‘Arena,’ and I was too close to the special effects explosion, and the result was that I was left with permanent Tinnitus,” Shatner recalled. “And over the years, I’ve had many ups and downs with my Tinnitus, and I know from firsthand experience just how difficult it can be.” According to the Mayo Clinic, Tinnitus is a condition where people experience a ringing-like sensation in their ears. The veteran actor also shared his observation of the disease in his friends and colleagues and added, “It’s a diverse condition that comes in different degrees of severity.”

Shatner added. “About 1 to 2% of the population suffers from a chronic, debilitating form of Tinnitus, and there are no effective treatments, and that’s why we need more research.” The actor then spoke on how a change can be made through the Tinnitus Quest NGO, which was founded in 2024. He shared that the NGO’s goal is to “silence Tinnitus once and for all by funding innovative research.” He added, “The more money we can raise for Tinnitus Quest, the quicker we can find a solution to help the millions of people suffering.”

According to E! Online, Shatner was diagnosed with the disease in the 1990s. At the time, the Boston Legal actor said, “Sometimes it’s really bad, but I know it’s not going to kill me. I realized that if you were given the choice of sight or sound, choose a faculty, most people would say, ‘Well, sight, sight, sight!’” Shatner mused. “It’s argumentative because sound gives you a 360-degree perspective. Imagine never hearing music again.” Despite the debilitating health condition, Shatner has not slowed down a bit. According to the New York Post, following the condition, he took home two Emmy Awards, one in 2004 for his hit drama series The Practice and then again in 2005 for his guest role on Boston Legal. 

He has also been a host of a docu-series on the History channel, named The Unexplained, for seven seasons since 2019. But then he did something that no one saw coming. Shatner became the oldest person to travel to space on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin spacecraft at age 90. However, in February, Shatner took to social media to tease retirement. In his Instagram post, he wrote, “Yesterday I was honored by the @SaturnAwards with a Lifetime Achievement Award,” he wrote on Instagram alongside a picture from the ceremony. “Although I’m wondering if that’s a subtle hint to retire‽”