Mark Cuban plans to leave 'Shark Tank': 'It's time'

Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Longtime Shark Tank star Mark Cuban says he plans to leave the show.

The billionaire businessman, 65, recently said on Showtime's All the Smoke podcast that he will exit Shark Tank after Season 16 of the ABC reality series.

Shark Tank features entrepreneurs who pitch their business ideas to Cuban and other "sharks," or well-known potential investors.

On All the Smoke, Cuban praised Shark Tank but said "it's time" for him to go.

"I love it because it sends the message the American dream is alive and well," the star said of the show. "I feel like in doing Shark Tank all these years, we've trained multiple generations of entrepreneurs that if somebody can come from Iowa or Sacramento or wherever, and show up on the carpet of Shark Tank and show their business and get a deal, it's going to inspire generations of kids."

"I've invested in, I don't know how many hundreds of companies," he added.

Cuban joined Shark Tank as a guest in Season 2 and became a series regular in Season 3. He has invested in such companies as BeatBox Beverages and Dude Wipes.

Other sharks include Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec, Kevin O'Leary and Lori Greiner.

Cuban told Forbes on Monday that he had nothing to add to his comments on the podcast and that he's "still got a whole new season to shoot."

Shark Tank is in its 15th season on ABC.