The actor, who has led SWAT for eight seasons, took to his Instagram Thursday night to react to CBS canceling the police procedural again. The network has canceled and un-canceled the show twice before.
“To my homies, to my fans, to my baby girls and to Hollywood — yeah, I said it — to Hollywood. The game,” Moore, who plays Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson on SWAT, said in a lengthy video. “I said I wasn’t going to do this, but I can’t help it. I’m gonna do it because it’s who I am. It’s how my mama raised me. Own your dignity, tell the truth. She can’t stand a liar, so I ain’t lying, and I’m telling the truth. S.W.A.T., here we are, season eight, three weeks away from the finale, we are canceled again. It sucks. It’s sad.”
The Criminal Minds alum continued, “Uncanceled twice, two years in a row, uncanceled, canceled, uncanceled. Now, I don’t know my history, but how many shows get to say that? I’m gonna say none, or I’m gonna say that we’re close to one of the none. But we did that. We did that and we are so proud.”
While Moore appreciates everything he’s done with the show over eight seasons, he’s still holding out hope for the future of SWAT.
“I say to CBS, if you’re done — I know it’s about money, optics, politics — I don’t think you’re making the right choice. I’ll say that. But if you are done, I say thank you, genuinely, honestly, from my heart,” he added in a message to the network. “Thank you for the honor. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for the ride. If you change your mind, I promise you will make a lot of people smile.”
Elsewhere in the video, he also expressed his gratitude for the cast and crew of SWAT, calling them “the best” in the business. He noted that he gave a goodbye speech to them in the day.
“Hey, Netflix, how you doing?” Moore later quipped in the video. “Netflix, if you’re interested in a show that is in autopilot that the world is watching, we’d love to come play. NBC, Fox, ABC, hey, you want to come flirt with me? You’re invited to the barbecue. Pick your favorite restaurant. I will pay the bill.”
The Young and the Restless actor added, “The family over at S.W.A.T., we ain’t done chasing bad guys and helicopter chases and motorcycle chases and car chases and blowing up stuff. … I bow out gracefully and I’m excited about my new chapter. Right now. I’m just gonna chase around my little baby girl, my little daughter, but then I’ll get back on the saddle, put my cape on and go be Shemar Franklin Moore.”
SWAT was initially canceled by CBS in 2023 after six seasons, but then the network reversed its decision, renewing the show for a seventh and seemingly final season. But then the network surprised fans last year with a last-minute renewal for an eighth installment, which is currently airing.
When the show was first canceled, Moore also spoke out, calling the decision a “fucking mistake.”
