‘Shark Tank’ Stars Robert Herjavec and Kevin O’Leary Clash in Tense On-Air Exchange

Shark Tank stars Robert Herjavec and Kevin O’Leary don’t always see eye to eye, and their disagreements sometimes lead to tense on-air exchanges.

During the Friday, October 9, episode of Sirius XM’s Business Briefing with Janet Alvarez, Herjavec, 64, called out O’Leary, 72, during a discussion about on-camera drama that often happens on the hit ABC show.

“I’m not intimidated by saying what needs to be said. What pisses me off, not just about Kevin, what was the pitch?” Herjavec recalled. “We got into a huge argument where [cohost Mark] Cuban and I left the stage. And people said to me afterwards, ‘Oh, that’s just acting.’ And it’s not.”

Herjavec stressed that these moments aren’t staged, explaining that they stem from heated discussions as the panel of investors decide which businesses to back.

“When we’re in the moment, it’s very real,” Herjavec added, before clarifying, “My issue is, sometimes Kevin goes too far.”

O’Leary quickly jumped in to defend himself, insisting that “there’s no ‘too far'” in the real world.

“I’ll tell you why I’m right on this. The tank is tough. I get it. Maybe I’m tougher,” O’Leary replied. “But the real world out there is a [expletive]. If you can’t get through the tank, it’s going to eat your hiney to pieces.”

O’Leary continued, “If they can’t stand up to the heat they’re going to take — I’m not the only guy giving heat, particularly on numbers — then they’re going to fail anyway. So, it’s too bad, and I say, who’s next?”

But Herjavec pushed back, telling his costar not to “insult the entrepreneur.”

“I insult their idea, not them personally,” O’Leary fired back.

Herjavec got in one final jab at O’Leary, sarcastically telling him, “Gosh, you’re so inspiring.”