Mark Cuban Is Leaving 'Shark Tank' After 16 Seasons to Spend Time With Family

The Gist:

• Mark Cuban announced that he will be leaving Shark Tank after the show's 16th season in 2025.
• Mark said that he felt it was time to leave, and added that he loves the show, and is only leaving for one heartfelt reason.
• Mark said that he has $29 million invested with 85 different companies he first heard about on the show.

As one of the most successful reality shows of the 21st century, Shark Tank has also gone a long way toward raising the profiles of the investors who sit on the show's panel. Among those investors is Mark Cuban, a billionaire who also owns the Dallas Mavericks.

During his appearance on the podcast All the Smoke, Mark told hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson about his time on the show.

“This is our 15th year. Next year, 16th year, is going to be my last year," he said. Now, many want to better understand why Mark is leaving the show.

When Mark broke the news on the podcast, he added that he felt it was "time" to leave, and talked more about what it was like to be on the show for more than a decade.

“I feel like in doing Shark Tank all these years, we’ve trained a generation of entrepreneurs, 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,” he said.

“That’s what happens, right? Now we’ve got people coming on [saying], ‘I watched you when I was 10 years old,’" he continued.

Although Mark didn't add much more detail on the podcast about why he had decided to leave, he did provide some additional detail when he confirmed his departure to The Hollywood Reporter. In an email to the publication, Mark explained that his departure had nothing to do with his feelings about the show.

“I just want to have a couple summers with my teens before they go off on their own,” he explained. “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.”

Mark will actually leave the show in 2025, after the 16th season is done, so fans of the show still have some time to get used to the idea of him leaving the show.

Mark has previously told Forbes that he has at least $29 million invested in 85 different companies that he first heard about on Shark Tank.

“On the one hand, I understand that nobody should have this much wealth, but it is what it is,” Mark said while speaking with 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.”