William Shatner’s kidney stone sold for $75,000, helping a Louisiana family get a home
Actor William Shatner auctioned a kidney stone for $75,000 to a gambling website, with the proceeds helping a family in Louisiana purchase a home. The story was recently revisited on a podcast featuring Shatner and his former co-stars.
Why it matters
This serves as a human-interest story illustrating the intersection of celebrity culture, bizarre publicity stunts, and charitable outcomes.
Most people who pass a kidney stone would happily never see it again, but William Shatner’s experience took an unexpected turn. The Star Trek actor’s small black kidney stone, which he assumed had been discarded after removal, became an unusual fundraising item when a Canadian gambling company expressed interest in buying it. The stone was eventually auctioned for $75,000. Combined with a contribution from his Boston Legal co-stars, the proceeds helped provide a home in Louisiana for a family of five. Nearly two decades later, Shatner revisited the story on Dropping Names ...and other things with Brent & Jonny, hosted by fellow Star Trek actors Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes. The episode was released on October 7, 2026.An offer William Shatner couldn't quite refuseThe company behind the unusual proposal was GoldenPalace.com, an online casino known for acquiring bizarre objects as publicity stunts.
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