Mindy Kaling, MrBeast join ‘Shark Tank’ as Season 18 guest Sharks

Kendra Scott and Rashaun Williams, who previously served as guest Sharks, will become permanent Sharks in Season 18.

Some celebrity entrepreneurs are looking to take a swim in “Shark Tank.“

The ABC reality show returns in the fall for Season 18, with “The Office” star Mindy Kaling, YouTube creator MrBeast (real name Jimmy Donaldson), former NFL player J.J. Watt, entrepreneur Steven Bartlett, and sister producers Erin Foster and Sara Foster among the celebrities slated to join as guest Sharks.

Along with producing several TV shows – including the recent Gen Z sitcom “Not Suitable for Work” – Kaling runs Mindy’s Book Studio with Amazon Publishing. She helms production company Kaling International and has previously invested in skincare brand Lion Pose, founded by two female Harvard Business School grads. 

Donaldson, known for his high-stakes, cash-prize reality shows across YouTube and Prime Video, will put his money toward American businesses and products. He will be joined as a guest shark alongside Jeffrey Housenbold, the CEO of his company, Beast Industries.

In addition to being a former defensive lineman for the Houston Texans, Watt is the founder of the Justin J. Watt Foundation, which provides funding for after-school athletic programs in underserved middle schools around the United States.

Bartlett serves as a Dragon on “Dragons’ Den,” the U.K. version of “Shark Tank,” and hosts “The Diary of a CEO” podcast. He also helped found several businesses, including Social Chain, a social media marketing company, and media and investment company Flight Story.

As for the Foster sisters, they are co-founders of the clothing line Favorite Daughter. They’re also the producers behind Netflix’s hit show “Nobody Wants This,” and the hosts of “The World’s First Podcast.”

Meanwhile, Kendra Scott and Rashaun Williams, who previously served as guest Sharks, will become permanent Sharks this season. Scott, the founder and CEO of her self-titled jewelry and home decor brand, first guest-starred on Season 12. Williams, who is a limited partner with the Atlanta Falcons, has invested in more than 150 startups and joined the series back in 2024.

Who are the other sharks?

Kevin O’Leary (a.k.a. Mr. Wonderful) will still commandeer the Shark floor, alongside fellow Sharks Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Daymond John and Robert Herjavec.

Kind Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky, previously a guest Shark, became a permanent player ahead of Mark Cuban’s exit from the show last year.

Why did Mark Cuban leave ‘Shark Tank’?

After more than a dozen seasons on “Shark Tank,” Cuban bid the business-investing show farewell in May 2025. In his final episode on May 16, Cuban thanked his co-Sharks.

“I’ve learned so much from all of you,” Cuban said to Corcoran, Greiner, Herjavec, John and O’Leary in the Season 16 finale. “And to ‘Shark Tank,’ the people who supported us, to the people who love us. I love you guys like family.”

The entrepreneur and one-time majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks said he left the show due to family reasons. Cuban shares three children with his wife Tiffany Stewart, and told People he wanted to “spend more time with them.”

“When they were young, it was like, ‘OK, we’re going to wait for Dad,'” Cuban said, specifying the two-week filming schedule in June and September as a non-starter. “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.”

Cuban’s ‘Shark Tank’ legacy

Cuban invested “about 33 million” while on the show, he told CNBC Make It. His investments earned him $35 million in cash returns, holding equity worth “at least $250 million.” Some of those businesses include Tower Paddle Boards, Nuts ‘N More, SAT prep company Prep Expert and skincare company Simple Sugars, according to Nasdaq.

How to watch

Season 18 of “Shark Tank” airs Wednesdays on ABC and is available to stream the following day on Hulu. Although the premiere date has not been announced, viewers can expect to tune in this fall.