Disney/Christopher Willard
Mark Cuban Shares the Real Reason Why He’s Leaving ‘Shark Tank’ After Season 16: ‘It’s Time’
What will Shark Tank be without Mark Cuban after season 16? Fans of the franchise are wondering what the business aficionado has planned after his final season of the show and whether or not he will ever return to television in the future.
“I’m getting asked that a lot now that people know that I’m leaving — I doubt it,” Mark told TheWrap on Monday, October 14, when asked if he would consider doing another TV show.
But the reason for his departure from the program is rather touching.
“I’m leaving just to spend more time with my kids — they’re teenagers now. When they were younger, my wife and I got to tell them where to be and when; now they ain’t listening to us,” he told the outlet. “We shoot in June and September, and just getting the opportunity now when they’re getting out of school to be able to spend time directly with them, that’s important. I’m tired of missing that.”
The Dallas Mavericks owner shares kids Alexis, Alyssa and Jake with wife Tiffany Stewart, whom he married in 2002.
“My whole thing, always, my entire life has been time,” previously said on a podcast. “Money obviously is important, and money can buy you time. But the asset I’ve valued the highest is time.”
And while he will be stepping away from the Shark Tank panel as a full time cast member, Mark assured fans that he would appear here and there.
“I still have to do updates with the companies that I’ve invested in,” Mark said. “So I’ll come back and visit, do my updates and I’ll turn it over to somebody.”
His costars will most assuredly miss having him on set each day.
“Very few people know that Mark really saved the show. The show was going to be canceled in its first three years because nobody could explain the show. ‘Where’s the money, when do they get the money, do you lose, you win,’ whatever the case was. So it was really hard for us to go onto national television,” Daymond John revealed. “All the other famous people at the time said, ‘I’m not getting on the stage with five other people that nobody knows.’”
Mark appeared on Good Morning America on Tuesday, October 15, to talk about his final season as a full time panelist on Shark Tank. When asked what it was like shooting the final show, Mark admitted that it was “weird.”
“It’s been a great run. I love the show but it was just time,” he said. “We shoot in June and September, which is when my kids get out of school and when they go back to school and I’ve missed it for so long. Now they’re teenagers, I just don’t want to miss any more of that time.”
During the interview, Mark also revealed that his favorite investment out of all of the seasons was Dude Wipes. His answer had everyone on set laughing. “Everything is a potty joke to them,” he playfully said. “Their business is great. They’re killing it. … They’re taking over the toilet paper category.”
Shark Tank season 16 premieres Friday, October 18, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, and is streaming the next day on Hulu.
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