Longtime “Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton has been fired after a disturbing incident aboard an American Airlines flight triggered a company investigation.
“Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately,” Sony confirmed in a statement to Page Six.
Thornton, who had been the voice of the iconic game show since 2011, was initially suspended indefinitely after Sony learned about allegations stemming from a May flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles.
According to reports, another passenger photographed Thornton allegedly browsing an inappropriate online chatroom while aboard the plane. TMZ reported that timestamps indicated the site was open for at least 57 minutes.
Making the situation even more noticeable, Thornton was reportedly wearing a “Wheel of Fortune” jacket at the time.
Thornton’s attorney has strongly disputed any suggestion that the announcer intentionally sought out inappropriate material.
According to a letter obtained by Page Six, Thornton’s lawyer claimed he accidentally ended up on the website while attempting to access resources connected to suicide prevention.
“Through an acquaintance in the suicide prevention space, my client was misdirected to a forum with a similar URL” to 988lifeline.org and its chat service, Thornton’s attorney said.
The lawyer claimed Thornton believed the website was a forum offering suicide-prevention assistance and did not initially realize what kind of content was being discussed.
“When my client understood what the website was about, he left the page and has not visited since,” the attorney said.
However, another passenger apparently became concerned enough about what they witnessed to alert the flight crew.
Authorities were then contacted, and police were reportedly waiting when Thornton’s flight arrived in Los Angeles.
Thornton was questioned by law enforcement but ultimately released without being arrested.
His attorney pointed to that brief encounter with police as evidence that authorities did not believe a crime had taken place.
“When questioned about the complaint made by a fellow passenger on the flight, law enforcement spoke to him for five minutes or less, immediately determined that no wrongdoing had occurred, and told my client he was free to go,” the attorney wrote.
Sony nevertheless launched its own investigation after learning about the incident.
Earlier this week, the company announced that Thornton had been suspended while the allegations were reviewed.
“Jim Thornton has been suspended from Wheel of Fortune, and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation,” Sony previously told TMZ.
Now, that investigation has ended with Thornton losing the job he held for approximately 15 years.
The controversy could also create a major headache behind the scenes.
According to TMZ, producers are undertaking the significant task of removing Thornton’s voice from episodes of the current season that had already been recorded.
Thornton became the permanent “Wheel of Fortune” announcer in 2011 following the death of legendary announcer Charlie O’Donnell.
O’Donnell originally held the position from 1975 until 1980 before returning in 1989. He remained with the show until his death from congestive heart failure in 2010.
Thornton initially stepped in as a guest announcer before permanently landing the coveted role.
Before joining “Wheel of Fortune,” he worked on “The Price Is Right” and had voice-acting credits that included “Monsters, Inc.” and “The Cleveland Show.”
His firing marks another major change for one of television’s longest-running game shows.
Ryan Seacrest took over hosting duties from Pat Sajak in 2024, joining longtime co-host Vanna White.
Now, after more than a decade of introducing contestants and prizes, Thornton’s familiar voice is disappearing from the show as well — this time under highly controversial circumstances.
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