Don't mess with this shark! Billionaire investor Mark Cuban of ABC's Shark Tank threw a fit over his compensation on the reality show, Business Insider revealed in a newly leaked exchange.
The emails, sent between Cuban and Sony Pictures chair Amy Pascal, Sony Pictures television president Steve Mosko, and Cuban Companies general counsel Robert Hart, were part of the business mogul's contract negotiations for his role as an investor on the popular entrepreneurial TV show. Shark Tank is distributed by Sony Pictures Television, and the emails were sent back and forth this past September.
In the exchange, Hart tells Cuban that his compensation would be $30,000 per episode to appear on season 5 of Shark Tank. In season 6, he would receive $31,200 per episode, and $32,488 for each in season 7. According to Business Insider, Cuban would be receiving $904,800 for appearing in 29 episodes of the smash series.
Cuban was also told that part of the deal was to "prevent you from exploiting various aspects from the show." According to Hart, Sony wanted rights to his catchphrases, including "nicknames, gestures, utterances, etc." Hart said he wanted to "push back" but first wanted Cuban's input.
Business-savvy Cuban retorted by contesting the suggested compensation.
"Seriously?" he wrote in response. "No chance… this is beyond an insult and it shows no one cares about the investments I have made or the entrepreneurs. now it's really business.. I will negotiate like any other deal I would do. you may want to start cutting me out of the promos. m."
Also looped into the email were the show's executive producer Mark Burnett and Sony's EVP of U.S. reality and syndication programming Holly Jacobs.
According to TV Guide, Cuban's costar Kevin O'Leary makes $30,000 per episode. Their ABC reality peers, meanwhile, are paid hourly with Bachelor host Chris Harrison being compensated $50,000 per hour and Dancing With the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli at $30,000 for the same time frame.
