Any fan of Criminal Minds will tell you they mainly watch for Shemar Moore's character, Derek Morgan. Once he left the show, it was hard to still enjoy what was happening. Luckily, Moore got his own new series called S.W.A.T. which has already been picked up for a full season.
Although Moore is fairly open about his life on Instagram, there are some things you may not have known about the actor. WARNING: you'll fall more in love with him than you already are.
1. Mama's Boy
Shemar Moore has always been close with his mom and he's not afraid to talk about it. An only child, Moore's relationship with his mom intensified when she was diagnosed multiple sclerosis in 1998.
"I went through the whole denial thing for a couple of years," he confessed. "I was like, "˜Take a couple aspirin and go to sleep...You'll be fine. You'll be fine. Go get a massage and slow down.' I just had to check myself and say, "˜Listen, she's scared and asking for help, so let's help her turn in the right direction'."
2. Dress To Impress
In addition to his acting, Moore also runs a clothing line called "Baby Girl", based off his catchphrase from Criminal Minds. Proceeds from each sale go towards the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
3. Bilingual...Sorta
Though he was born in California, Moore moved to Denmark with his mom when he was just an infant. She had taken a job teaching mathematics, and it's where Moore first learned to speak. When he was four, they moved to Bahrain where he attended a British private school, where he learned to speak English.
4. First Gig
Though many people learned to love Shemar Moore during his 11-year run on The Young And The Restless, his first role was actually on a comedy series called Loving Single. He played Jon Marc, whose character tries to seduce Kim Cole's character, Synclaire.
5. O, Canada!
He may not be bathing in maple syrup, but Shemar Moore is part Canadian! His mom is of Irish and French-Canadian decent, and Moore has talked about his love of Toronto in the past, saying he loves the diversity and openness of everyone around.
"My grandmother is from Quebec City...so a lot of people don't know I have a little French-Canadian connection "” so, je parle franí§ais un petit peu. Some of the best fans I've ever had in my entire career are Canadian. They're just so loyal "” from Young and the Restless to Criminal Minds and everything in between. I know this is Drake's house in The 6, but I'm going to at least rent a room for a minute."
6. Music Man
Long-time fans will remember those glorious six months when Shemar Moore dated singer Toni Braxton. He even appeared in her music video for "How Many Ways".
7. Halle Berry
Moore says Halle Berry is the measuring stick for all his relationships.
"She was the first woman to really knock my socks off. I fell hard for Halle...I was smitten not just because of who she was, but because we were so similar in so many ways. Toni was a fun ride, but Halle was a necessary experience. It made me much stronger as a man, and knowing the caliber of woman I want in the future."
8. Tough Childhood
It may be hard to believe by looking at him now, but Moore was bullied in school, mostly for being biracial. He says moving back to the United States was when it got really bad.
"It was after we moved back. I was six, and I remember how different everyone made me feel when I was in school. Why does your hair look like that, why is your skin that color, how come your mom is white, how can you be cousins with so-and-so. That's how I learned I was good at baseball, because kids would chase me after school, so I started picking up rocks and throwing them to fight back."
9. Baby Girl
Shemar Moore's famous catchphrase was never meant to stick around! He confessed it was supposed to be a joke, but it turned into something way bigger.
"Episode 3 of season 1 I had a phone call with [Penelope Garcia]. But then I was in a goofy mood and so they said 'action' and I was like 'Hey Baby Girl, listen, I need you to work your magic...' I said something and I just completely riffed it, and I was waiting for the producers or the director to like, 'Okay. All right, I don't know what that was but we are going to go back the other way.' And they ended up keeping it in the episode!"