Mark Cuban has officially announced that he’ll be leaving Shark Tank after serving on the reality TV show’s panel for a whopping 15 years. His final appearance on the show took place last week on May 16th, and he offered some heartfelt words to accompany his exit from the franchise.

In a candid conversation, the businessman explained what it is that he’ll miss most about serving as a shark on the show. His response, which was surprisingly heartfelt, may surprise longtime fans of the show.

Mark Admitted What He’ll Miss Most About Shark Tank Is The People

During his tenure on the show, Mark was known for his stern appearance and his often bullish dealmaking. He first joined Shark Tank back in 2011, making him one of the longest-running investors to appear on the series. When asked about why he would be leaving the show behind, Mark said that he was feeling a “readiness to move on” and felt that the timing was right for him to focus his energy on something else.

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“Shooting the show is easy and fun. I actually love the shooting part of it. But it’s a lot of time, and even more time to work with all the companies I invest in,” he explained in a conversation with People. “For those entrepreneurs, it’s their entire lives,” he added.

Mark went on to surprise fans by sharing some tender words, elaborating that the one thing he’d miss most about the show was the people who made it possible:

[I’ll be sad] less because of the show itself and more because of the people I’ll miss. 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.

It’s no surprise that an investor like Mark already has his next endeavor lined up. In the same conversation with People, he shared that he already had plans for the next chapter of his life. “Once a deal closes, I have to do what we can to give them a chance to make their American Dream come true,” he shared. “That’s a huge commitment intellectually, time-wise and emotionally. I was ready to commit that time to my family and Cost Plus Drugs,” he added.

Mark Leaves Behind A Complicated Shark Tank Legacy

In his exit from Shark Tank, Mark leaves behind a legacy that is both impressive and complicated. Outside of making deals that were worth a total of millions upon millions of dollars, his long tenure on the show wasn’t without its conflicts. Fans of the show will recall, for instance, that he often butted heads with his fellow shark Kevin O’Leary. (Since Mark joined the show in Season 3, other regular sharks that have been added include Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec and Lori Greiner.)

At another point in time, he also faced insider trading allegations; back in 2013, he was accused by the SEC of selling shares of Mamma.com Inc. based on non-public information about a planned stock offering. He was later acquitted of the lawsuit, and he remained as an investor on the show, apparently unscathed by the entire affair.

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That said, it appears that Mark leaves Shark Tank expressing immense gratitude that the show provided him. He noted how Shark Tank took his celebrity status to another level. “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.” he explained.

This isn’t to say that Mark is leaving Shark Tank behind purely for other business opportunities, however. He was adamant that part of exiting the franchise was to slow down and be able to enjoy more time with his family, in particular: “My kids are teenagers and I want to spend more time with them. We always shoot in June and September, and in June, right when they’re finishing school, I have to come here.”

“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,” he added. The investor also noted that one of the things he was looking forward to the most after leaving the show was being able to go on vacation with his kids