As Shark Tank hits the major milestone of 300 episodes on television, the time is right to look back on the show's impressive run and the Sharks who have been a part of it. Daymond John is one of the originals and has been there since the beginning. While others have come and gone over the years, he’s still committed despite these “very challenging times.”
CinemaBlend had the honor of speaking to Daymond John right on the heels of his appearance on Season 8 of The Masked Singer, and he spoke about his long run on Shark Tank. When I asked if he’s given any thought to when he might decide to leave the ABC series, the business mogul explained he doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon for a very good reason:
I’m very proud of the show. I don’t plan on going anywhere at the moment because we’re in the middle of how the show started. We started in the middle of a recession and we’re in the middle of very challenging times for people. I’m glad to be an African-American that can show people we all have the same challenges, and we all have more in common than we have apart. That rug doesn’t care about your color, your creed, your gender, your sexual preference. You just have to bust your butt just like I did and it will reward you. That entrepreneurship will reward you if you try hard.
Daymond John may take some time off to rub shoulders with other celebrities unmasked on The Masked Singer, but he’s planning on sticking around on Shark Tank for a while. With "challenging times" for people across the country, many will hustle to try and carve out a new life for themselves and their families with great ideas. Some of those folks may be lucky enough to make a deal with John and the others, or at least get the exposure to better their chances at success.
For now, it doesn’t seem like Daymond John is going anywhere, but the Shark acknowledged that his time is coming sooner or later. John noted to CinemaBlend that while he’s enjoyed his time on Shark Tank, he'll eventually have to step aside for a like-minded but potentially younger mogul. He said:
My time is going to be up on Shark Tank sooner or later. I think that I, hopefully, have been a great part of the franchise and the history of the show but there needs to be more seats open for the new Daymond Johns of the world who will have the foresight and, you know, more energy and are ready.
Daymond John joined Shark Tank at the very beginning and currently sits alongside Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec, Kevin O'Leary, Mark Cuban, and Lori Greiner. The show is in Season 14, and will reach the 300-episode mark with the next episode on October 21.
Hitting 300 episodes is quite an achievement for any series, but definitely special for one that has run on network television since 2009 and continued through major events like the pandemic. They’ve even found time to welcome celebrities like Kevin Hart, who is funny, if perhaps not as experienced at business as the other Sharks (or as cutthroat).
And Shark Tank is still going strong, since it doesn’t look like the ride is ending anytime soon. Provided there’s someone out there looking to get rich off a new product (and richer people looking to bankroll that idea for a cut of the profits), this series could potentially go on forever. Whether or not it does, the current library is available streaming to anyone with a Hulu subscription.
Shark Tank airs over on ABC on Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Tune in on October 21 for the 300th episode, and to see which of the Sharks partners with an inventor who could bring the next big product to the world.
