Shemar Moore Shares a Touching Memory Of Kristoff St. John
Former daytime star-turned-primetime leading man Shemar Moore dropped by the set of The Talk this week for an impressive 26th time to chat about the new season of his CBS crime drama S.W.A.T. But hosts Sheryl Underwood, Akbar Gbajabiamila, and Jerry O’Connell couldn’t pass up an opportunity to congratulate Moore on his 30th anniversary as an actor and take him back to the scene that started it all: his debut performance as Malcolm on The Young & The Restless!
The jumbo screen on the set of The Talk was cued up to Moore’s first episode of the CBS soap, which aired on April 6, 1994. In the scene, a cocky Malcolm arrives at the office of his older brother, Neil — played by the late Kristoff St. John — who is less than thrilled to see him. Covering his face with his hat, an embarrassed Moore initially laughed at his younger self before getting teary-eyed as he watched the interaction between him and his late friend.
After the clip, Gbajabiamila asked Moore what he remembered about making his television debut on the soap, and the former Y&R star revealed it was something St. John said to him when he first started out that has stuck with him all these years.
In 2019, Moore brought Malcolm back to Y&R for Neil’s funeral, delivering an emotional eulogy in the episode that served as a tribute to St. John.Michael Yarish/CBS
“What I remember, and what I just heard, is that I hadn’t hit puberty yet,” Moore laughed while looking at his younger self, before confessing that he hadn’t yet been completely confident in his acting abilities. “Back then, I was scared. I was excited. ‘I’m going to be on TV!’ And then once I got the job and all that sunk in, I got freaked out. Like, ‘Oh my God, I’m not going to be good enough. They’re going to see right through me. They’re going to tap me on the shoulder and send me home.’”
That’s when St. John stepped in, which boosted the newcomer’s confidence. “It wasn’t what I would have told myself; it’s what Kristoff St. John told me,” Moore explained. “From the beginning, he embraced me, he said, ‘You’re scared, you’re nervous, you’re green. But you got heart, and you got raw talent.’”
That “raw talent” led Moore to star on the soap for 11 years, earning three Daytime Emmy Award nominations and taking home the trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2000.
Click here to watch Moore reflect on his first Y&R scene. Season 8 of S.W.A.T. begins Friday, Oct. 18, at 8 p.m. on CBS.
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