William Shatner has revealed the strange journey of a kidney stone that left his body, reached the auction block and ultimately helped provide a home for a family. The Star Trek icon recalled the unusual episode during an appearance on Dropping Names with Brent and Jonny, as reported by The Daily Mail.

The 95-year-old actor said the story began when a doctor removed the stone, also known as a nephrolith. What looked like a small black pellet soon attracted attention from a Canadian gambling company seeking an unconventional promotional opportunity.

“I have a kidney stone, and the guy takes it out, here it is, a little black pellet. Thank God it’s gone,” Shatner remembered.

“A week later, I get a phone call from a Canadian gambling company who, by law, can’t advertise. So what they do... they find ways of doing it.”

According to Shatner, the company asked whether it could purchase the stone. He said “they auctioned it off for $75,000,” turning the medical souvenir into an unexpectedly valuable item.

Shatner was starring in the television drama Boston Legal at the time of the 2006 auction. He explained that the proceeds were combined with money raised by the cast and then given to Habitat for Humanity.

“A home in Louisiana and a family of five, last time I checked, was living in that house,” Shatner told hosts Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes. Both hosts appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Shatner emphasized the amount generated by the peculiar sale and the cast’s contribution. “My kidney stone plus $25,000 for raised from the cast. We gave Habitat for Humanity $100,000 to make a home for a family.”

The actor’s account places the auction price at $75,000, although CBS News previously reported that he sold the kidney stone to the gambling business for $25,000. Shatner’s latest recollection focused on the combined $100,000 contribution and the Louisiana home.

The memorable story emerged during a busy period for Shatner, whose memoir William Shatner... And You was published on August 31. The book centers on stories, experiences and perspectives gathered from his friends and fans.

“My greatest joy has been the connection I’ve shared with fans over the years. William Shatner... And You is a celebration of them: their stories, their passion and the bond we’ve built together,” Shatner told People when the book was released.

Shatner announced the project in August 2025 and invited fans to submit anecdotes explaining how his work had affected them. He then selected several people to be interviewed by him for the book.

“The people who have been influenced by Star Trek are so numerous,” Shatner wrote in the memoir. “I was astonished by the complexity of what we’ve uncovered... It’s given me a deeper insight into our audience. It was a pleasure to talk to the people in the book who shared perspectives that I will always treasure.”

Shatner is best known for playing Captain James T Kirk on Star Trek from 1966 until 1969. He voiced the character in the animated series from 1973 until 1974 and portrayed Kirk in seven feature films released from 1979 until 1994.

His other prominent television work included the title role in T J Hooker from 1982 until 1986. More recently, he appeared at New York Comic Con alongside Ben Stiller as Star Trek marked its 60th anniversary.

During the panel, Shatner remembered his late friend and Star Trek costar Leonard Nimoy, who died in 2015 at 83. “I loved him. He was my brother,” Shatner said, according to an account from USA Today.

“We were very much the same. Born four days apart: He in Boston, me in Montreal,” Shatner reflected. “The cities are very similar. And the struggles we had as actors, and the divorces, and the deaths, and the children.”

Shatner was married to Gloria Rand from 1956 until their divorce in 1969, and they share three children: Leslie, Lisabeth and Melanie. His marriage to Marcy Lafferty lasted from 1973 to 1996, and he married Nerine Kidd Shatner in 1997.

Nerine died in August 1999 following an accidental drowning in their swimming pool. Shatner married Elizabeth Martin in 2001, divorced her in 2020 and rekindled their relationship in 2023.

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