After 15 seasons of serving as a guest panelist on Shark Tank, Mark Cuban is moving on from the show.
But this was a long time coming, as Cuban had been talking about leaving the show after its 16th season since 2023.
And now that a sneak peak of the Season 16 finale of Shark Tank has aired – celebrating all of Cuban’s contributions to the show – his departure is official.
On May 15, ahead of the release of the final episode, Cuban took to X, formerly Twitter, to share a few thoughts.
‘My last @ABCSharkTank is this Friday,’ he said.
‘Gonna miss it. But it was time to move on. Make sure to watch!’
Speaking to PEOPLE, Cuban said that the decision was driven by his desire to focus on his family going forward.
‘My kids are teenagers and I want to spend more time with them,’ he said.
Mark Cuban has been on Shark Tank since 2011 and announced he would be leaving at the end of the 16th season
Some of Cuban’s most famous investments on the show include Dude Wipes and Manscaped
He explained that Shark Tank always films in June and September, keeping him away from his children at both the end and beginning of their school years.
‘When they were young it was like, “OK, we’re going to wait for Dad.”‘ he told the outlet.
‘Now that they’re teenagers, they aren’t waiting for Dad at all, and in September they’ve just gotten back to school. I want to be there for that.’
And though his exit from the show was somewhat expected, fans are still grieving the loss of one of their favorites.
‘Legitimately my “lunch break and watch Shark Tank on youtube” routine will never be the same,’ one X user wrote over Cuban’s goodbye post.
‘End of an era,’ another user wrote.
‘Cuban was never just a Shark – he was the reason people watched.’
Some fans were deeply upset, with one tweeting, ‘This one hurts,’ followed by a sad face emoji and a heart emoji.
Cuban revealed he was leaving the show to focus on spending time with his children
Shark Tank’s producers paid Cuban a tribute by compiling a celebratory video of all of his contributions to the show
Some fans presumed that Cuban was leaving the show to make a bid for president in 2028
‘Been watching Shark Tank since second season because of him’ another one shared.
Many fans made the assumption that Cuban left the show to make a bid for for the U.S. 2028 Presidential Election.
‘Cuban for President,’ one Instagram user wrote, followed by others who wrote declaratively, ‘He’s running.’
Cuban already addressed rumors that he would run in 2028 back in February.
‘Hell no. It’s not going to happen,’ he said at a Principles First convention.
‘No, I don’t want to be president.’
