Longtime “Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton has been fired by Sony Pictures Television, days after the game show said he had been suspended while the studio investigated allegations involving him.
Thornton’s removal follows an incident aboard an American Airlines flight in May that led authorities to question him after the plane landed at Los Angeles International Airport.
The allegations involve material that a fellow passenger said she saw on Thornton’s laptop during the flight. Thornton’s attorney has denied that he engaged in illegal activity and offered a different explanation for why he was accessing an online chatroom.
Here is what is known about the case.
Why was Jim Thornton fired from ‘Wheel of Fortune’?
Sony Pictures Television confirmed that Thornton’s employment with “Wheel of Fortune” was terminated effective immediately following what the studio described as a thorough investigation.
The decision came after Sony had initially suspended Thornton from the show.
When the suspension was announced, Sony said it had recently become aware of allegations concerning Thornton and was conducting an investigation while recasting the announcer role.
According to Variety, Thornton will not be heard when the new season begins on September 14. An interim announcer has re-recorded Thornton’s parts for the upcoming episodes.
Sony has not announced a permanent replacement.
What are the allegations against Jim Thornton?
The allegations stem from a May flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Los Angeles.
According to TMZ, a passenger sitting near Thornton said she could see the screen of his laptop during the flight. She described messages and images in an online chatroom that appeared to involve discussions about minors.
The passenger alerted a flight attendant and provided photographs of what she had seen.
The plane’s captain then contacted authorities, who were waiting for Thornton when the flight landed at LAX.
Thornton was questioned by law enforcement after arriving at the airport.
He was not arrested or charged with a crime.
The material seen by the passenger has been described in reports as allegedly involving disturbing discussions about minors. Those allegations have not been established as criminal conduct by Thornton.
What happened when Thornton landed at LAX?
Authorities were reportedly waiting for Thornton when his American Airlines flight arrived at LAX.
After speaking with him, authorities allowed him to leave.
KTLA reported that Thornton was not arrested or charged. His attorney has also maintained that law enforcement determined that no crime had occurred after speaking with him.
The circumstances surrounding the investigation and Sony’s internal review are separate from the question of whether any criminal charges were filed.
What does Jim Thornton’s attorney say?
Thornton’s attorney, Allison Hart, has strongly denied that the announcer engaged in illegal activity.
According to Hart, Thornton became involved in suicide-prevention advocacy after losing a close family member to suicide two years ago.
His attorney said Thornton had spent time in online communities supporting people experiencing suicidal thoughts and regularly visited the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline website and its online chat service.
Hart said an acquaintance from the suicide-prevention community sent Thornton a link to another website that was described as a chatroom for people with pedophilic thoughts.
Thornton maintains that he left after discovering the nature of the site.
His attorney has also said that Thornton never viewed, downloaded or consumed child sexual abuse material during the flight or at any other time.
Hart told TMZ that Thornton “did nothing wrong.”
Why was he suspended before being fired?
The sequence is important.
Sony first announced that Thornton had been suspended from “Wheel of Fortune” while it investigated the allegations.
The studio also said it was recasting the announcer role during the investigation.
The subsequent decision to terminate Thornton’s employment came after Sony said it had completed a thorough investigation.
That means the situation moved through two distinct stages:
- Suspension: Sony investigated allegations involving Thornton.
- Termination: Sony later confirmed that his employment with the show had ended immediately.
The studio has not publicly provided a detailed explanation of the findings that led to the termination.
When did Jim Thornton join ‘Wheel of Fortune’?
Thornton became the voice of “Wheel of Fortune” in 2010, following the death of longtime announcer Charlie O’Donnell. Some reports identify 2011 as the start of his regular tenure.
He also served as the announcer for “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” on ABC and has worked as a substitute announcer on “The Price Is Right.”
His career extends well beyond game shows.
Thornton voiced Johnny Gomez on “Celebrity Deathmatch” and worked as an announcer on “The Cleveland Show” and “Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!”
He has also provided voices for video games and narration work, including a commercial narration role connected to the 2001 animated film “Monsters, Inc.”
Jim Thornton’s long career in Los Angeles
Thornton has been a familiar voice in Los Angeles broadcasting for decades.
He joined KNX 1070 Newsradio in 1985 as a traffic reporter with Metro Traffic and later became an afternoon anchor.
He also provided traffic reports for KCBS-TV and worked with Westwood One Radio Networks.
Thornton was the voice of KCOP-TV in Los Angeles for four years.
His broadcasting work has earned him an Edward R. Murrow Award, Golden Mike Awards and an Emmy.
Will Jim Thornton return to ‘Wheel of Fortune’?
For now, Thornton is out of the show.
Sony has confirmed that his employment with “Wheel of Fortune” has been terminated, and an interim announcer has already re-recorded his parts for the new season.
There is currently no permanent replacement announcement.
The case has generated significant attention because Thornton was a familiar voice on one of America’s longest-running game shows. But the allegations surrounding the May flight should remain distinguished from established facts: reports describe what a passenger said she saw, while Thornton’s attorney has denied illegal conduct and emphasized that he was not arrested or charged.
For viewers searching for what happened to the Wheel of Fortune announcer, the confirmed development is that Sony first suspended Jim Thornton during an investigation and subsequently terminated his employment.
