Whoopi Goldberg Almost Joined ‘Shark Tank,’ But She Was $100M Short

“Shark Tank” started its season 15 on May 3, and if the show’s team had gotten its way, there would have been an additional shark.

In 2023, Barbara Corcoran shared her attempt to bring Whoopi Goldberg on board as a guest investor for “Shark Tank.” The revelation came during an appearance last year on “The View,” where Corcoran and fellow “Shark Tank” stars Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Kevin O’Leary, Robert Herjavec, and Daymond John joined the daytime talk show to discuss the upcoming season of their popular business-pitch series, which has been on the air since 2009.

On the show, entrepreneurs seeking funding and investors make sales pitches to the “sharks,” all of whom are deemed successful businesspeople.

During the discussion, “The View” co-host Sara Haines brought up Corcoran’s efforts to recruit Goldberg as a guest shark. “You have a lot of great guest sharks this season, but I heard you really pushed for someone we know to be a guest shark on the show,” Haines said. Corcoran confirmed this, saying, “That would be Whoopi. No one would argue with me. She tells it like it is.”

Mark Cuban supported the idea, stating Goldberg would “be a great shark,” which prompted laughter from the EGOT-winning actress. The studio audience, “The View” co-hosts, and “Shark Tank” personalities then started chanting, “Do it! Do it! Do it!” in support of Goldberg joining the show.

Not With Her Money

Goldberg, 67, responded, saying, “Look, I love this show,” but noted a significant barrier when O’Leary joked that all she needed was $100 million of burnable income to participate. “There is the problem,” she remarked. “If I could do it with ABC’s money… ?”

Sharks, although paid for their appearances on the show, use their own money for the investments they make, according to Investopedia.

Corcoran elaborated on why she believed Goldberg, who has an estimated net worth of $60 million , would be a valuable addition to the Shark Tank team, emphasizing the heart and desire to help people that successful sharks possess. “Every great shark we’ve had stems from the heart; they really want to help people, and that’s what you have,” Corcoran said. “Who wouldn’t want to have you as their partner?”