Mark Cuban may be out of the tank — but don’t count him out just yet.
The billionaire entrepreneur and longtime Shark Tank star said goodbye on May 16, when his final episode aired after more than a decade of wheeling and dealing in ABC’s famed investor seat.
But when PEOPLE asked if this really marks the end of his run, Cuban didn’t shut the door completely.
‘Who knows,’ he said with a grin. ‘Maybe after my kids are all out of school I’ll come on and raise hell again — but I doubt it.’
Cuban, who became a full-time Shark in 2011, announced his departure from the show in November 2023, saying he wanted to spend more time at home with his wife, Tiffany Stewart, and their three children: Alexis, Alyssa, and Jake.
So far, that quality time is still on the horizon.
‘It hasn’t much yet,’ he admitted, since Shark Tank doesn’t film during the winter and spring months.
‘But for this coming fall, I’ll be able to finally be home for my wife, son’s and oldest daughter’s birthdays. We almost always were shooting then.’
The show traditionally films in June and September — right when Cuban’s kids are finishing or starting school, making it a particularly tough stretch for family time.
‘My kids are teenagers and I want to spend more time with them,’ he said last fall on the All the Smoke podcast, where he first revealed he’d be leaving after Season 16.
‘We always shoot in June and September, and in June, right when they’re finishing school, I have to come here.’
He added: ‘When they were young it was like, ‘Okay, we’re going to wait for Dad.’ 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 he’s bracing for the full teenage experience — eye-rolls and all.
‘They will have more time to ignore me and tell me how I’m not as cool as I think I am. All which I love,’ he joked. ‘It will give me more time to learn and tell them dad jokes and my stupid sayings and leave the room rolling their eyes.’
‘I would rather all of that than listen to royalty deals!’
Cuban may not miss the business pitches, but he does feel the absence of something else — the people behind the scenes.
‘Our crew — from Sharks to PAs to producers — are incredible to work with and to know. That’s who I will miss more than anything,’ he said, recalling his final day on set. ‘There was a lot of sadness, but at the same time, some closure and readiness to move on.’
He also acknowledged the surprising cultural impact of his time on the show.
‘Shark Tank took my celebrity to a completely different level,’ he said. ‘I went from being a sports guy to celebrities telling me how much they loved me and the show, asking for business advice and investments.’
‘And to be recognized everywhere I went, here in the USA and wherever Shark Tank played globally. It completely changed my life.’
Whether he returns or not, Cuban’s legacy in the tank is already sealed — and now, he’s just happy to play dad.