CBS Under Fire as Shemar Moore Speaks Out Against Cancellation of SWAT

Shemar Moore expressed his frustration with CBS after the network abruptly canceled his show, “S.W.A.T.,” on Friday.

In a candid Instagram video, Moore, who played the lead role of Hondo in the show since its premiere in 2017, shared his disappointment and shock over the decision. Moore claimed that the cancellation made no sense, especially given that the show had seen a rise in ratings.

“We’re the best show on Friday nights at 8:00 for CBS. The last two years, we have been killing it,” he said. “We’ve done nothing wrong. We did everything that was asked for.”

Moore also emphasized the show’s diversity and his pride in being the only African American male lead on network television. “I am the only African American male lead on television,” he stated. “SWAT” was the “most diverse show on CBS,” he added, noting that the network had been receiving a lot of criticism for its lack of diversity before he was hired to lead the series.

“If I post this, and I think I might, I will get in a lot of trouble with CBS because I’m calling them out,” he acknowledged, adding that the network had been wonderful to him for 26 out of his 29-year career. “But to abruptly get told you’re canceled when you led us to believe last week and the week before that we would have some semblance of a season 7 to at least say goodbye, if not continue, and to abruptly be told, ‘You’re done.’ There’s a lot of politics [licensing, etc] … it’s all about money, y’all.”

Moore ended the video by expressing his hope that CBS or Sony would reconsider the decision and allow “SWAT” to continue.

“I hope we can have a kumbaya and come back together and continue this show because it’s a good time for families across the world,” he said. “If it is the end, life will go on, I’m not worried about me. I care about my family, my crew, the writers, the producers, the caterers, the wardrobe, the sound mixers, the teamsters, the construction crew, that’s a whole lot of people that are abruptly being told that, ‘You don’t matter, sorry, thank you for your services. Good luck in finding a new job.'”

Moore also urged fans to “make some f—ing noise and let them know canceling SWAT is a f—ing mistake.” “This ain’t the way to go out. If we’re gonna go out, cool, but let us go out right,” he concluded.

CBS has yet to respond to Moore’s video.