Stephen J. Cloobeck

Stephen J. Cloobeck (born October 26, 1961) is an American businessman and the founder, former chairman and chief executive officer of the timeshare company Diamond Resorts. He is a candidate for Governor of California in the 2026 election.

Stephen Cloobeck
Born	(1961-10-26) October 26, 1961 (age 63)
Education	Brandeis University (BS)
Political party	Democratic
Children	3

Early life

In 1983, Cloobeck graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in Psychobiology.^[1]

Business activity

In April 2007, Cloobeck acquired the publicly traded company Sunterra Corporation and converted it into Diamond Resorts International.^[2][3] He is also the chairman of the board of the US Corporation for Travel Promotion.^[4] Cloobeck stepped down as chairman and chief executive officer of Diamond Resorts International when the company was purchased by Apollo Global Management, LLC in June 2016.^[5]

Charitable activity

Cloobeck supports charities and civic organizations including the Prostate Cancer Foundation,^[6] FasterCures,^[7] the Barack Obama Foundation,^[8] the Brent Shapiro Foundation for Drug Prevention,^[9] the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation,^[10] the Los Angeles Dream Center,^[11] and various educational initiatives. To assist Diamond Resorts employees dealing with unexpected life events, Cloobeck founded the Diamond Resorts International Team Member Crisis Fund (now the Diamond Resorts International Foundation) in 2012.^[12]

Cloobeck was chairman of the board of the Nevada Cancer Institute.^[13][14] In 2012, he endowed the Stephen J. Cloobeck '83 Endowed Fellowship at the Brandeis University International Business School.^[2] He was a founder of the Brent Shapiro Foundation for Drug Awareness.^{[citation needed]}

On October 2, 2017, it was reported that Cloobeck donated $400,000 to the Las Vegas shooting GoFundMe campaign setup by law enforcement for benefit of victims.^[15][16][17]

Politics

In June 2011, he donated $100,000 to Majority PAC, a PAC oriented to promoting Democratic candidates to the U.S. Senate. The donation was sent as a check from "JHJM Nevada I, LLC," which made the source not readily evident.^[18]

In December 2022, Cloobeck announced he had handed in his resignation to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. He stated his reason for leaving the commission was due to not being able to work with Governor-elect Joe Lombardo.^[19]

On November 5, 2024, Cloobeck announced a run for governor of California in the 2026 election as a Democrat.^[20]

Media

Cloobeck has appeared on the US edition of Undercover Boss numerous times. Cloobeck first appeared in Season 3, Episode 1 (initially aired January 15, 2012). Cloobeck was also featured in Season 4, Episodes 16 and 17, which initially aired May 10, 2013 and May 17, 2013, respectively.^[21]

On November 7, 2017, Cloobeck appeared on MSNBC and said he told Democratic leaders he would "cut your money off" if they criticize the wealthy, saying: "I've talked to [Senator Chuck] Schumer, I've talked to [Senator Ron] Wyden, I've talked to [Representative Nancy] Pelosi and I've said if you use the term billionaire again, I'm done."^[22]

In February 2021, Cloobeck pledged $1 million to fund the name change of McCarran International Airport to Harry Reid International Airport.^[23]

Personal life

Cloobeck was in a five month relationship with OnlyFans model Stefanie Gurzanski which began in July 2020. Following their breakup, Cloobeck sued Gurzanski for offenses including fraud, claiming that Gurzanski had misled him about her modeling career; in response, Gurzanski filed for a restraining order against Cloobeck.^[24][25] Responding to questions in a May 2025 podcast with The Daily Beast, Cloobeck said he was "naive to the dating scene" at the time and claimed the relationship ended with an apology letter from Gurzanski, which he read aloud.^[26]