Shemar Moore Says Dating Halle Berry And Toni Braxton Made Him ‘That Guy’ – Essence

Actor Shemar Moore was a sight to behold in the 1990s and still has many fans worldwide. During a chat with PEOPLE, the actor shared that his high-profile romances with some of the hottest Black women in Hollywood helped boost his ego. The context of this conversation was Moore sharing that he had challenges with his identity and appearance as a bi-racial man.

“I had a pretty good entrance into Hollywood,” said Moore. That said entrance included dating the breathtaking Halle Berry in 1997 and the sultry Toni Braxton in 1995. Dating such high-profile women made Moore eye candy to many others.

“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,” the S.W.A.T actor shared with PEOPLE.

Even though Moore was quite the ladies’ man, he ensured he moved with integrity.

“I did it right — I was always honest,” he added. 

The 54-year-old added that he has a reputation for keeping it real: “Anybody in my personal space through history, I strongly know they’d go, ‘He was a punk sometimes. He got on my last nerve. But he kept it 100.’”

Moore has evolved from ladies man to boyfriend and dad–he’s enjoying this chapter of his life. The actor has been dating his girlfriend Jesiree Dizon for the past couple of years and they recently welcomed their first child together. Their daughter Frankie, 1, was born in January 2023, making the actor a proud first-time father. 

Fatherhood isn’t stopping Moore’s shine; he still enjoys being a sex symbol, he told PEOPLE. “It’s a show,” he admitted. “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.”

He concluded, “I’m Babe, Dad, and to the homies, I’m Sham. I know I’m cool. I earned that. But I’m normal, I’m regular.”