ABC has announced its cast for Shark Tank Season 18, and the biggest name in the lineup is Jimmy Donaldson — MrBeast, the world’s most-subscribed YouTuber — who will join as a guest shark this fall. He’ll appear alongside Beast Industries CEO Jeffrey Housenbold, as part of a guest roster that also includes actress and writer Mindy Kaling, former NFL star J.J. Watt, “Diary of a CEO” podcast host Steven Bartlett, and Favorite Daughter co-founders Erin and Sara Foster.
A stacked new season
Shark Tank has relied on rotating guest sharks for years to round out its panel since Mark Cuban’s departure, alongside full-time sharks Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, Daniel Lubetzky and Kevin O’Leary. Season 18’s guest class is one of the show’s most star-studded yet, mixing entertainment names like Kaling with entrepreneurs like Watt and the Foster sisters. Donaldson will bring Housenbold, the former Shutterfly CEO who now runs Beast Industries, into the tank alongside him.
The season also brings a structural change: Kendra Scott and Rashaun Williams, both previously recurring guest sharks, have been promoted to permanent seats on the panel. Season 18 will air Wednesdays on ABC, with episodes streaming on Hulu the next day; no premiere date has been set yet.
Why MrBeast?
Shark Tank has run for 17 seasons and become one of broadcast TV’s most durable unscripted formats, earning 27 Emmy nominations and five wins along the way. Bringing on a guest shark with Donaldson’s reach is a clear bet on drawing a younger, internet-native audience into a show now in its 18th year — while pairing him with Housenbold, an operator with real corporate and e-commerce experience, gives the appearance some business substance alongside the star power.
What remains to be seen is how Donaldson performs in the format itself — how he evaluates pitches, negotiates equity, and whether he ends up making deals that hold up the way the show’s most memorable investments have. That’s something only the aired episodes can answer.
