Where Are the “Soul Train” Hosts Now? Inside Their Lives After the Iconic Dance Show

The show premiered in 1970 and featured four hosts through its 35-year-run

Generations of viewers learned how to move thanks to Soul Train.

Created by Don Cornelius, the series began as a local Chicago program in 1970 before expanding into national syndication the following year. Over the next three decades, it became a must-watch for discovering Black music, dance, fashion and culture, earning its famous nickname, “the hippest trip in America.”

The show is also responsible for exposure to some of music’s biggest stars like James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson.

Cornelius served as the face of Soul Train for more than two decades and closed each episode with his unmistakable sign-off. After he stepped away from hosting in 1993, the series went through a period of guest hosts before Mystro Clark, Shemar Moore and Dorian Gregory each took a turn leading the show until 2006, when it ended after 35 seasons.

But what happened to the men who kept the train moving? Here’s where all four Soul Train hosts are now.

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Don Cornelius

Cornelius created Soul Train as a local television show in 1970 before taking it into national syndication the following year, where he remained its host until 1993. He became recognizable due to his deep, smooth voice, and ended each episode with the line: “I’m Don Cornelius, and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace, and soul!”

But Cornelius did not completely step away from Soul Train when he hung up his hosting hat. Clark, who became the show’s first permanent successor, told PEOPLE in August 2025 that Cornelius continued attending every taping and approving details ranging from cue cards to camera shots.

“He was still there on set, every single show, telling everybody what to do — he just wasn’t on camera,” Clark recalled, describing Cornelius as a “micromanager” who remained extremely protective of the show he had created. Although the two occasionally experienced friction as Clark developed his own hosting style, Clark said his decisions always came from a place of respect for Cornelius and his overall vision.

In 2008, Cornelius sold the rights to the Soul Train library to MadVision Entertainment. He later gave a rare interview for the 2010 VH1 documentary Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America, reflecting on the series’ early years.

Two years later, Cornelius died by suicide on Feb. 1, 2012. He was 75 and had been experiencing health issues since a 1982 operation to correct a congenital malformation in his brain, per ABC News.

He was survived by his two sons, Anthony and Raymond, whom he shared with his first wife and childhood sweetheart, Delores Harrison. After their marriage ended, Cornelius married Russian model Viktoria Chapman in 2001. Their relationship had a turbulent end, and they finalized their divorce in 2009 after Cornelius pleaded no contest to misdemeanor spousal battery.

In 2023, Cornelius was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which honors influential figures who worked behind the scenes in the music industry.

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Mystro Clark

After Soul Train spent several years rotating through celebrity guest hosts, Clark became the first permanent host to follow Cornelius.

Clark told PEOPLE he had previously guest-hosted an episode while Cornelius was still searching for a successor, interviewing Tevin Campbell and ad-libbing some of his questions. Although the approach was questioned by Cornelius, Campbell ended up enjoying Clark’s humor. Cornelius later contacted Clark’s manager and invited him to lunch, where they finalized plans for Clark to take over. He hosted the series from 1997 to 1999.

Clark brought experience in stand-up and sketch comedy to the role, and told PEOPLE he remains proud of his impact to this day. “I was the one that Don handpicked to take over for him. I was the first full-time host other than Don,” Clark said. “That’s a small, pretty elite group to be a part of, so I’m proud of that.”

Following his time on Soul Train, Clark continued working as an actor, comedian, writer and host. He hosted the travel series Awesome Adventures from 1998 to 2012, and appeared in shows including The Shield and Lovespring International. He has also written for Nickelodeon and developed projects for Disney, Warner Bros. and Fox.

Today, Clark continues to perform stand-up, work as a motivational speaker and has done more than 25 years of military service, according to his website. In 2025, he revealed that he was developing a podcast and considering another comedy tour. “I think I’ve got something to say now … So a podcast is in the works, and maybe another comedy tour or DVD or something,” Clark said.

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Shemar Moore

Moore took over as host of Soul Train at the start of the new millennium, hosting from 2000 to 2003. When he joined, Moore was already a familiar face to television audiences as he had risen to fame as Malcolm Winters on The Young and the Restless. The role, which he began playing in 1994, earned him a Daytime Emmy Award in 2000.

After leaving Soul Train, Moore became even better known for playing FBI agent Derek Morgan on Criminal Minds from 2005 to 2016, with several later guest appearances. He then starred as Sgt. Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson on S.W.A.T., which ran for eight seasons before ending in May 2025. His film credits include The Brothers, Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and 3.

Moore also turned one of Morgan’s signature expressions into a business with a charitable mission. In 2013, he launched the Baby Girl clothing line, named after the nickname Morgan frequently used for Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) on Criminal Minds. A portion of the proceeds from the collection were donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, a cause close to his heart since his mother, Marylin Wilson-Moore, was diagnosed with the disease in 1998.

Moore reprised his part as Winters for a multi-episode arc of The Young and the Restless in 2026, and he will also play Hondo again in S.W.A.T. Exiles, a new spinoff premiering on Starz in September 2026. He also serves as an executive producer on the 10-episode series.

Moore dated model and actress Jesiree Dizon for nearly five years before they split in January 2025. The former couple welcomed Moore’s only child, daughter Frankie Melelina Kapule, on Jan. 24, 2023.

In January 2025, he said being a father to Frankie had given him a renewed sense of purpose. “She saved my life,” he said on The Jennifer Hudson Show.

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Dorian Gregory

Gregory took over for Moore as the fourth and final permanent host of Soul Train, leading the show from 2003 until it ended in 2006.

He had first guest-hosted the series in 1996, an experience he described to PEOPLE in 2025 as being “caught up in this magic bubble.” When he returned as permanent host, Gregory was also playing police inspector Darryl Morris on Charmed (he appeared from 1998 to 2005), and had previously cohosted the daytime talk show The Other Half.

After Soul Train, Gregory appeared in shows including Las Vegas, Without a Trace, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Grey’s Anatomy.

More recently, he played Dr. Nolan in the 2023 mystery series As Luck Would Have It and appeared in the 2024 television movie Fatal Fixer-Upper. Today, Gregory is working on a poetry and short-story collection titled The Listen INN.

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