If you’ve watched Shark Tank on the 2026 TV schedule or during its nearly two-decade run, you already know Barbara Corcoran doesn’t suffer fools or do anything halfway. She’s bold, theatrical, and always thinking three steps ahead. So it probably shouldn’t be shocking that one of her most infamous stunts involved tricking friends, guests, and, briefly, even Wikipedia into thinking she had died.
The real estate mogul recently revisited the story on her Instagram, where she shared a photo from her 70th birthday celebration and explained how the chaos unfolded. Rather than letting friends throw her a traditional surprise party, Corcoran learned about the plan ahead of time and decided to flip the script in the most Barbara Corcoran way possible. She explained:
My 70th birthday party is making the rounds again, and I’ve got to tell you, it’s true! I caught wind that my friends were planning a surprise party for me, so I decided to flip it around on them. While everyone entered upstairs thinking I’d be walking in at any minute, I was climbing into a coffin downstairs in my best Carolina Herrera gown. The guests were escorted downstairs because “Barbara’s entering that way now!” only to find me waiting for them. Everyone was in for a big surprise, a great laugh, and a night full of good food and dancing! The next morning, Wikipedia thought I’d actually died! I’d say the surprise was a success.
Now that is one way to mark another year on this planet: by pretending you’re ready to take a dirt nap. It’s full-on Tom and Huck–level buffoonery, the kind that makes you clutch your pearls and mutter, “For that reason, I’m out!” Actually, no, this is incredible. I fully support the chaos. Though the Shark Tank star was famously duped out of 400K in an email scheme. Cosmic karma? Who's to say?
According to the longtime ABC fixture, guests were told she’d be “entering” from downstairs, only to discover her casually reclining inside a coffin, as if this were the most normal entrance imaginable. Honestly, its a masterclass in committing to the bit and you have to see the pictures for yourself to believe it. Luckily for you, the mogul posted receipts in the form of a photo.
And yes, for a brief, glorious moment, Barbara Corcoran was technically dead—at least according to the internet. Wikipedia reportedly took the stunt at face value, which somehow makes the whole thing even funnier. But as Barbara herself once said, “The difference between successful people and others is how long they spend feeling sorry for themselves.” So don’t mourn the briefly deceased. She’s very much alive, thriving, and clearly having the time of her life—both the current and the after.
For longtime Shark Tank fans, this humorous little anecdote rings true, as the self-made entrepreneur has always thrived on confidence a refusal to play it safe. Turning your milestone birthday into a theatrical fake-out, complete with a coffin and a couture gown, is simply an extension of that mindset.
You can catch Barbara Corcoran, now 76, negotiating all kinds of business deals across all 16 previous seasons and the currently airing Season 17 of Shark Tank, with tons of guest Sharks on the panel. The show airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on ABC, with episodes streaming the next day with a Hulu subscription.
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