Lots of time Wheel of Fortune Announcer Jim Thornton has been fired from the popular game show, according to Sony Pictures Television.
“After a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s work in Wheel of Fortune has been discontinued effective immediately,” a company spokesperson said in a statement published by The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone and Variety.
Thornton was suspended from participating in Wheel of Fortune Last week, Sony Pictures Television said the studio would rework the story while conducting a thorough investigation into allegations against the game show announcer.
“We recently became aware of allegations regarding Jim Thornton,” Sony Pictures TV said in a statement to Variety at the time. “He was suspended from work Wheel of Fortune and we are making changes while conducting a thorough investigation.”
Thornton’s firing comes after TMZ published a report on an alleged incident that occurred on an American Airlines commercial flight in May. The publication posted photographs of a man, presumably Thornton, with an open laptop in an “alarm chat.”
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Another passenger allegedly complained about Thornton to a flight attendant.
In a statement to Global News, American Airlines did not mention Thornton by name but confirmed the incident occurred on the flight in May.
“On May 14, American Airlines Flight 1276 was met by law enforcement upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) following concerns reported by a customer on board,” the statement said.
Thornton’s lawyer told TMZ that the ex. Wheel of Fortune the announcer “has not engaged in any illegal activities and has not been arrested or charged with any crime.”
“When asked about a complaint filed by another passenger on the flight, law enforcement spoke with him for five minutes or less, immediately determined that no wrongdoing had occurred and told my client he was free to go,” his lawyer added.
After the publication published the alleged photos in a separate report, Thornton’s lawyer said the former Wheel of Fortune The announcer “has become an active advocate for suicide prevention since he lost a close family member to suicide two years ago, and he has spent time visiting chat rooms offering support to people suffering from suicidal thoughts.”
Global News reached out to Sony Pictures Television for further comment but did not receive a response.
Thornton was the voice Wheel of Fortune since 2010, following the death of original announcer Charlie O’Donnell.
He started out as a guest announcer and officially joined the show as the main announcer for season 29 in 2011, according to IMDb.
Thornton also served as announcer Celebrity Wheel of Fortune from 2021.
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