Speculation suggests that Michael Jones (of the Garand Thumb YouTube channel) and his wife, Ashely, got a divorce.
Jones has run the Garand Thumb YouTube channel since its inception in 2006, creating videos centered on and around firearms and military tactics.
The popular online creator is a former military man and built quite the following among the firearm enthusiast community, amassing over 4.1 million subscribers on the video-sharing platform.
Garand Thumb Cheating Controversy Explained
Recent comments on several Garand Thumb YouTube videos suggest channel owner Michael Jones and his wife are divorced.
Garand Thumb's most recent video (posted on November 10) has been inundated with fan questions asking where several of Jones' collaborators, such as Micah and Charlie, have gone.
The pair of fellow creators have not been seen in any of the Garand Thumb videos in several weeks (or months in Charlie's case), making some wonder what happened between Jones and the two other online personalities.
Some speculated this could have something to do with a potential divorce between Jones and his wife, Ashley, as well as cheating allegations being levied at the YouTube creator.
Ashley Jones has shared several posts online, seemingly indicating that she and Michael have split up. However, the exact reason remains unknown.
In early October, Ashley wrote on Facebook (as captured by fans on Reddit) about "growing up on a single dad" and never thinking she "[would] be a single mom:"
"Growing up with a single dad, I never thought I'd be a single mom. It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel at this point and the heartbreak is unbearable at times. My kids are truly beautiful inside and out they shine a lot of light in the darkness with their playfulness, smiles, hugs, and kisses. If anyone has any advice for me during this time of extreme adjustment in one's life, I'd sure appreciate it. Thankful for my friends, family, and community that have taken time out of their lives to help me through this. You know who you are!"
She did not mention Michael by name, but it can be assumed that is who she is talking about.
She later confirmed the split on her Instagram page (via Reddit), posting an image of the two with the caption, "Mike and I are splitting up:"
"Mike and I are splitting up. This is a really difficult and sad time, for obvious reasons. I didn't realize the post I made was set to public- I would not have purposely done that. Mike and I run businesses together and we plan to keep those businesses going. Our businesses support not only our kids, but the families of our employees. By taking things out of context, people are inadvertently hurting our kids and the families of our employees. I hope people can accept that this is a private matter and isn't worth gossiping about. Garand Thumb and Onward Research will continue. Please respect our privacy by not perpetuating rumors."
This comes as rumors of Michael cheating on Ashley have been swirling for months.
Jones denied the allegations, posting a video on the Garand Thumb Facebook page and saying there has been no instance of infidelity on his part:
"I guess I am going to have to address it. Yes, me and my wife are divorcing. This was something we were working through personally. It is not due to cheating. It is not due to anything crazy that people have been saying online. It is very sad. We still have a lot of love for each other. We are still parenting [our] kids together. It is crazy that I have to address this."
Micah then posted on Instagram about his exit from the channel on November 8, writing that he was saddened to be leaving Garand Thumb but is moving away to " pursue [his] own filmmaking career:"
"I want to start by saying I appreciate everyone who has been there for this journey with me. I will be moving away from Garand thumb to pursue my own filmmaking career. I’m excited for what the future holds and relationships that will form in the future. I look forward to working with you all."
Ashley commented on this post, writing that she is "thankful for [his] friendship:"
"Thankful for your friendship. You’re going to crush this next adventure!"
Micah's exit came shortly after a now-deleted separate post on Instagram (as preserved on Instagram) where he cryptically referred to someone who "will spend their whole lives hiding behind moral high ground and Christian value" while "having every employee they've ever lost be held responsible for their own shortcomings:"
"Dudes will spend their whole lives hiding behind moral high ground and Christian values. All while having every employee they've ever lost be held responsible for their own short comings. Like Pointing loaded rifles at moving pedestrian cars costing CEO demotions. How are the NDAS holding up? There is a shocking amount of them. Lucas Botkin I don't lack a backbone to tag who I'm discussing. Perhaps the jeans have gotten so tight they're cutting off some blood flow to that long noggin. I got all the facts. Start to finish you fucking dweeb. This post wasn't meant to be vague. It was meant to address real issues from a real human who falls short. Like we all do."
Some have drawn a connection to Michael Jones through Micah's sentiment, but that has been unconfirmed.
Garand Thumb & Hailey Lujan Cheating Allegations Breakdown
The source of these Garand Thumb cheating allegations stems back to a female content creator named Hailey Lujan.
In early November, Lujan seemed to post explicit images of Michael Jones on X (formerly Twitter), including screenshots of what appear to be sexually charged Instagram DMs originating from the Garand Thumb figurehead.
Some have speculated that this X account does, in fact, not belong to Lujan and that the messages are fake, but those claims have been unsubstantiated.
Given posts from the user uploaded prior to this, some believe Jones would not have interacted in this way with someone like the owner of this particular X account (whether it is Lujans or not).
As of writing, Jones' cheating accusations have not yet been confirmed, and whether the source of these images/screenshots is authentic is also up in the air.
Garand Thumb can be followed on YouTube.
