Mark Cuban says he plans to leave the ABC unscripted series Shark Tank after nearly 15 years as a regular on the program.
Cuban tells The Hollywood Reporter that he expects to leave in 2025, after the next season is over.
The billionaire owner of the Mavericks initially revealed the decision in an All the Smoke podcast episode that aired last week, sharing with the hosts and ex-NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson that it was time for him to move on.
“I just want to have a couple summers with my teens before they go off on their own,” Cuban added in an email to 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.”
He previously told Forbes that he has invested $29 million in at least 85 companies since joining Shark Tank.
“On the one hand, I understand that nobody should have this much wealth, but it is what it is,” Cuban told the publication. “You make the best of it, and I don’t feel guilty about it at all. I busted my ass to get here.”
Shark Tank has been an ABC staple since it debuted in 2009. The series sees aspiring entrepreneurs pitching their ideas, products or businesses to a panel of “sharks,” who decide whether to invest.
Cuban debuted as a guest shark in season two, and has been a series regular since season three in 2012.
“I love it because it sends the message the American dream is alive and well,” Cuban told Barnes and Jackson on their podcast. “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.”
