NEED TO KNOW
William Shatner is opening up about his tinnitus in the name of a good cause.
The Star Trek star, 94, spoke out about the difficulties of living his life with the condition in a new video for the nonprofit Tinnitus Quest, whose mission is to raise money for research aimed at finding a cure or treatment for the condition.
“My own 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 shared in the video.
“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 get,” he added.
Tinnitus is a condition in which a person hears a “ringing, buzzing, whooshing sound in their ears” that “no one else can hear,” according to the American Tinnitus Association. It can be either temporary or chronic and affects about 50 million American adults.
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Shatner — who was diagnosed with tinnitus in the 1990s and has experienced the chronic form of the condition throughout his life — also noted in the video that “about 1% to 2% of the population suffer from a chronic, debilitating form of tinnitus” and “there are no effective treatments” for it.
“The more money we can raise for Tinnitus Quest, the quicker we can find a solution to help the millions of people suffering,” the actor said. “Thank you so much for watching, and I hope you will consider donating to Tinnitus Quest.”
This isn’t the first time the Boston Legal star has spoken candidly about his condition. In a 2023 interview with E! News, he recalled the first time he realized he had the condition and shared how it has impacted his life since. He also said the condition will hit him at the most unexpected times.
“I was on the beach and it’s a vivid moment, and you know how the waves go out — the wave comes in [roars] and then it goes ‘ssss’ [as it] goes out. All of a sudden, I kept hearing a ‘ssss’ even though there was another wave coming. And that’s how I discovered [I had tinnitus],” he explained.
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“And it started, and I went to the doctor and said, ‘Will it get worse?’ And he said, ‘It might not.’ But of course it does as you age, it gets worse,” he continued.
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Shatner noted that he eventually got used to the sound, explaining, “your brain starts to assimilate the sound, like it would if you were living beside an airport.” However, there are still times when it gets overwhelming.
“Sometimes it’s really bad, but I know it’s not going to kill me,” he said.
