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Barbara Corcoran was fired before 'Shark Tank' season 1 — but reclaimed her spot with a simple email

“I was embarrassed,” Barbara Corcoran said while talking about getting fired from ‘Shark Tank’ before it even began.

Barbara Corcoran has had an amazing path from hardship to success. Before she appeared on the first season of Shark Tank, a last-minute contact from production left her utterly disappointed. They allegedly informed her that they had replaced her with another candidate. Corcoran, however, refused to let the chance slip and not only reclaimed her spot but went on to play a significant role in the show's success.

The entrepreneur didn’t take the rejection lightly. As reported by CNBC, she said, “I was embarrassed. I told all my friends, ‘I’m going to Hollywood.' So I sat down and wrote an email right to them and said, ‘You’ve made a mistake.’” As reported by Nicki Swift, she added, "I consider this a compliment. When I've been rejected, my best things happen." Corcoran fired off an email listing the many accomplishments she achieved in the face of rejection. Additionally, she proposed a bold solution— that both she and the other candidate go to film, allowing the producers to choose the best fit. The producers agreed, and Corcoran secured her spot on Shark Tank.

10 seasons later, Corcoran is now one of the most iconic investors on the show, cementing her reputation as a formidable businesswoman. She once disclosed her biggest victory from the show during an appearance on The Daniel Mac Show— her contract with The Comfy, which brought in an incredible return of more than $400 million. Speaking about the deal, she said, "I took the deal myself. I got a third of the business for, I think, $50,000. They made me $468 million in three years." 

After almost being cut from the first season of Shark Tank, Corcoran once admitted she prefers being the one to fire herself. While this bold statement didn't surprise many, her appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast with Steven Bartlett earned her severe backlash. Corcoran revealed that before selling her real estate firm, The Corcoran Group, in 2001, she had a habit of firing employees on Fridays— often without giving much explanation. For her, it was a realistic approach to get rid of chronic complainers and underachievers. Her comments provoked public outrage and discussion about her managerial approach.

The real estate mogul shared the traits she looks for when deciding who to let go. As reported by TODAY, she said, "I picked out individuals who were negative, and my attitude toward the negative person was, they were ruining my good kids, because people who are negative have to have somebody else to be negative with them. They got to talk to somebody." Corcoran, famous for her no-nonsense advice on Shark Tank, boasts over a million followers across her social media.