Facebook Gaming suspended one of the platform’s biggest partners, Michael ‘THINND’ McMahon, after his ex-partner alleged he abused her while living together. After an investigation found no wrongdoing and the accusations were withdrawn, THINND has been reinstated as a partner.
THINND has over 900,000 followers on Facebook Gaming, racking up hundreds of thousands of viewers every stream. He was also one of the first streamers to be partnered on the platform. However, his career was put on hold after allegations he abused his partner while living together arose on June 21, 2020.
His ex-partner Theresa ‘Luxeum’ Nheap claimed THINND would lash out at her, before turning on his stream and acting in a completely different manner in an attempt to “save face.”
She also claimed that THINND pressured her to have sex with him in an attempt to “solve” the problem.
Facebook Gaming opened an investigation into the accusations, stating they did not condone the alleged behavior and suspended THINND while the investigation was ongoing.
However that investigation has since wrapped, with the Facebook Gaming partner being absolved of any wrongdoings and his suspension lifted.
We're sorry to hear that this happened to you. Thank you for bringing this to our attention; we take this very seriously. The partner in question has been suspended while we investigate.
— Facebook Gaming (@FacebookGaming) June 23, 2020
Luxeum also publicly withdrew her claims against THINND. She claimed things were taken out of context and added there was no sexual or physical abuse at any time during their relationship.
“My post was primarily about my opinions or feelings regarding what occurred during our relationship and was not meant to be taken out of context or for anything to be read further into the post,” she said in February 2022 in a court filing which has been provided to Dexerto.
“We both said harmful things to each other and have since moved on.”
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THINND denied the allegations leveled against him from day one. He instead claimed that that she placed “undue financial burden” on him and was only trying to help her.
“The accuser would take my credit card without my knowledge or permission and spend it on shopping, food delivery, and multiple other personal items to treat themselves,” he claimed.
He also said that “there was absolutely no physical abuse” and that he “tried [his] best to help” her receive support for mental health issues.
It comes after dozens of people have come forward in June 2020 detailing their own experiences of abuse from prominent figures within the gaming community. Tom ‘Syndicate’ Cassell and CS:GO caster Henry ‘HenryG’ Greer are two of the biggest names to be implicated.
It has also prompted platforms like Twitch to come out and address the allegations. The Facebook Gaming competitor made a statement saying they’re “committed to working to make the streaming community safer for everyone.”
Update (July 24, 2022): This story has been updated with new information following a court case which led to all allegations against THINND being dropped. He has since been reinstated as a partner with Facebook Gaming.