Shemar Moore boasts an impressive romantic history. In an interview with PEOPLE featured in this week’s issue, the S.W.A.T. star reflects on his journey to fame and how, before becoming a well-known television personality, he made a name for himself in the ’90s by attracting beautiful and successful women.
Moore, an only child born in Oakland, California, experienced a unique upbringing. After his parents, Marilyn, a teacher, and Sherrod, an Army veteran, separated shortly after his birth, he moved abroad with his mother and did not return to the United States for many years.
Shemar Moore Recalls Dating Halle Berry
His early life was marked by struggles with his identity and self-image. “I’m half Black, half White. That was an insecurity as a kid. ‘Am I Black enough? I’ll never be White because I’m too Brown. Where do I fit in?’” he reminisces. His mother played a pivotal role in helping him find perspective, telling him, “Shemar, understand both families’ backgrounds, respect it all, but just be yourself.”
While studying at Santa Clara University, Moore ventured into modeling, which eventually led to a life-changing audition. “They looked at me, and for whatever reason, they took a chance,” he recalls about the team behind The Young and the Restless.
During his time on the soap opera, he developed a close relationship with his on-screen brother, Kristoff St. John, who passed away in 2019. “He had a family; I didn’t. He’d say, ‘Go, brotha, I want to see how high you can fly.’ He gave me that confidence,” Moore shares.
His high-profile relationships also contributed to his rising star status. “I had a pretty good entrance into Hollywood,” he notes, mentioning that early in his career, he was known as “the guy who dated Halle Berry in 1997 and Toni Braxton in 1995.”
During that period, “Lovely ladies would look at me and say, ‘You want to hang out?’ and I’m like, ‘Duh!’ Initially, I became more popular as ‘that guy’ than I did as an actor. I had a good time being single,” he admits, although he insists, “I did it right — I was always honest.”
Reflecting on his past as a partner, Moore acknowledges, “Anybody in my personal space through history, I strongly know they’d say, ‘He was a punk sometimes. He got on my last nerve. But he kept it 100.’” This honest assessment is one he takes pride in.
Now, 30 years later, Moore is in a happy relationship with Jesiree Dizon, with whom he recently welcomed a daughter named Frankie, who is one year old. He embraces his status as a sex symbol but recognizes the reality behind it.
“It’s a show,” he admits. “I’ve told Jesiree and girlfriends in the past, ‘When I leave this house, I put my cape on with dignity and honesty, and I put on a show.’” At home, however, he is simply “Babe, dad, and to the homies, I’m Sham,” he says. “I know I’m cool. I earned that. But I’m normal; I’m regular.”
