Mark Cuban is saying goodbye to “Shark Tank” ahead of his final episode on the ABC reality show. He has been a full-time shark on the business series since 2012 after joining as a guest investor in 2011.
“My last ‘Shark Tank’ is this Friday. Gonna miss it. But it was time to move on,” Cuban posted on X.
The Dallas Mavericks owner first announced he would be leaving the long-running ABC show in 2023. The entrepreneur’s plan had always been to leave the series after Season 16, which comes to an end on Friday.
“I feel like in doing ‘Shark Tank’ all these years, we’ve trained multiple generations of entrepreneurs that if somebody can come from Iowa or Sacramento or wherever, and show up on the carpet of ‘Shark Tank’ and show their business and get a deal, it’s going to inspire generations of kids,” Cuban said on “All The Smoke” when he first announced his decision to leave the series. “Now we’ve got people coming on saying, ‘I watched you when I was 10 years old.’ I’m like, f–k. But we’re helping them right? I’ve invested in, I don’t know how many hundreds of companies. On a cash basis, I’m down a little bit, but on mark to market meeting, the companies are still in operation. I’m way up.”
A year later, Cuban gave a clearer answer about exactly why he’s leaving the series. “[‘Shark Tank’] shoots in the summer and I want to spend that time with family before my kids are off on their own,” Cuban told Inc.
During Season 16, ABC promoted frequent guest investor Daniel Lubetzky to be one of the main sharks. Moving forward, Lubetzky will likely fill the gap Cuban leaves.
Though Cuban has been on the ABC hit for 14 years, he’s not one of the original sharks. That honor belongs to Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec and Kevin O’Leary. And though Cuban’s departure may be a bit of a blow to fans who will miss his confident and boyish charm, it’s bound to be a temporary one. As “Shark Tank” has introduced more guest sharks, the series has established itself as being more about the average Americans who pitch their businesses rather than the investors.
“The show will be around long after Mark, Daymond, Barbara and all of us,” John told Variety in October of 2024.
The “Shark Tank” season finale airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC before streaming next day on Hulu.
The post Mark Cuban Says Goodbye to ‘Shark Tank’ After 14 Years: ‘Time to Move On’ appeared first on TheWrap.