Shark Tank Says an Emotional Goodbye to Mark Cuban — Will You Still Watch Without Him?

Mark Cuban has heard his final pitch on Shark Tank.

The billionaire investor said goodbye to ABC‘s long-running business pitch competition on Friday’s season finale after 15 seasons as a “Shark.” (Cuban first announced his exit in November 2023.)

The four pitches on Friday’s finale were pretty standard: Cuban teamed up with Barbara Corcoran to invest in a flavored deviled eggs business, but the show made no mention of Cuban’s impending departure. That is, until the final five minutes, when Shark Tank aired a tribute to Cuban’s time on the show, showing us highlights while Cuban reminisced about his years as a Shark.

“I remember literally thinking this show is not going to last,” Cuban mused. “I really didn’t expect there to be a third season, and then, boom! It just blew up.” He said he brought “a little bit of an edge” to the show, making it less about dry business advice and more “about people trying to reach their goals, trying to have their dreams come true.” He certainly made dreams come true, too, with mega successful investments in companies like Dude Wipes and Beatbox boxed wines.

Cuban got teary as he said “thanks to everybody who took a chance on me, all the entrepreneurs who said yes to me… I’m proud of what we’ve done.” He and the other Sharks had a toast on the Shark Tank set, and they all lavished praise on him. (Kevin O’Leary cracked: “We don’t always agree. Sometimes you’ve learned a lot from me.”) Cuban got emotional again as he raised his glass: “I’ve learned so much from all of you. We’ve had such an impact… I love you guys like family. Thank you.” Even Kevin cried!

“This show changed me,” Cuban admitted. “I think I changed the show. And I think we all together as Sharks changed America.”

Will the show be the same without him, though? Cuban has definitely been a driving force behind Shark Tank’s popularity, with his frat-boy sense of humor and brash business moves. But this show is about so much more than just Mark Cuban. The rotation of Sharks is still strong, with O’Leary’s ruthless insults, Robert Herjavec’s boyish enthusiasm and Corcoran’s brassy straight talk all balancing each other out nicely. Plus, Daniel Lubetzky, who has stepped in as a full-time Shark this season, has been a great addition so far, offering a dollop of human kindness to the usual feeding frenzy.

Really, the heart of the show is the entrepreneurs, and the chance to watch the American dream come true before our very eyes. So we’ll definitely miss Mark Cuban… but the Shark Tank will keep swimming along for many years to come.

Let us know what you think, Shark Tank fans: Vote in our poll, and then hit the comments to give us your take on Mark Cuban’s swan song.