Mark Cuban, a longtime “Shark Tank” business guru, says he is ready to invest less time on-air and more of it in his personal life.
Cuban announced he will be leaving ABC’s “Shark Tank” after its 16th season in 2025, more than a decade after he first joined the main cast in 2012. The Dallas Mavericks owner doubled down on his decision, first announced last week, telling the Hollywood Reporter he wants to focus on his children.
“I just want to have a couple summers with my teens before they go off on their own,” he told THR. “Nothing to do with the show. I love it. I love being on it. I love what [it] represents and how it motivates entrepreneurs around the world.”
Representatives for ABC did not confirm news of Cuban’s exit. A representative for Cuban did not immediately respond to the L.A. Times’ request for confirmation Tuesday.
The 65-year-old businessman has three children — 20-year-old Alexis Sofia, 17-year-old Alyssa and 14-year-old Jake — with wife Tiffany Stewart. He first revealed his plans to leave “Shark Tank” during an episode of former NBA players Matt Barnes’ and Stephen Jackson’s “All The Smoke” podcast released last week.
“This is our 15th year. Next year, 16th year, is going to be my last year. I got one more year to go.” Cuban said before adding, “It’s time.”
Cuban, who is also the co-owner of 2929 Entertainment and Cost Plus Drugs, made his “Shark Tank” debut as a guest judge in 2011. The following year, he joined the main cast and has since appeared in hundreds of episodes with fellow judges Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec, Kevin O’Leary and Lori Greiner. In the ABC series, small-business owners pitch their ideas before several panelists, hoping to land deals that could potentially skyrocket their businesses to success. During his tenure, Cuban has invested in numerous “Shark Tank” businesses — reportedly $29 million in at least 85 companies.
“It sends the message the American Dream is a live and well,” he said. “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, that’s going to inspire generations of kids,” Cuban added.
Elsewhere during his “All The Smoke” appearance, Cuban reflected on how “lucky” he’d been in life, telling the co-hosts, “When I die, I want to come back as me.”
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