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Wheel of Fortune Announcer Jim Thornton Fired After Alleged Incident on Flight
Sony Pictures Television has fired Jim Thornton, the longtime announcer of Wheel of Fortune, following an internal investigation. The termination comes after TMZ reported that a fellow passenger photographed him looking at a chatroom for pedophiles during a flight; Thornton's lawyer denies any wrongdoing, saying he inadvertently accessed a suicide-prevention site.
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Sony Pictures Television has terminated Jim Thornton, the longtime announcer of "Wheel of Fortune," effective immediately, the company confirmed in a statement to Page Six. The decision follows a thorough investigation, the studio said.
Thornton, who has been the voice of the syndicated game show since 2011, was suspended three days before his firing, with Sony saying it was recasting his role while conducting a review of allegations against him.
The allegations stem from an incident aboard an American Airlines flight on May 14, according to multiple reports. TMZ reported that a passenger on the flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles saw what appeared to be a disturbing online chatroom open on Thornton's laptop. The passenger told the outlet the material seemed to involve conversations about sexual interest in minors and alerted a flight attendant.
TMZ published photographs said to have been taken by the passenger, but the images have not been independently authenticated or verified by authorities or Sony Pictures Television.
Law enforcement officers met the flight at Los Angeles International Airport after it landed, and Thornton was questioned and released, according to TMZ. His attorney, Allison Hart, told the outlet that he was not arrested or charged and that officers determined there was no criminal wrongdoing.
Hart said Thornton inadvertently accessed a website he believed was connected to suicide-prevention support. She said the site was not unlawful and contained no illegal child sexual abuse material, and that Thornton neither viewed, downloaded nor otherwise consumed such material.
The incident has affected production of "Wheel of Fortune." TMZ reported that episodes for the upcoming season had been recorded before the suspension and that producers were working to remove Thornton from them. The new season is scheduled to premiere on September 14.
American Airlines confirmed to Deadline that law enforcement met Flight 1276 upon arrival at LAX after a customer reported concerns.
A framing line is our reading of that outlet's own text — an interpretation, not a quotation and not a fact we assert. Check it against what the outlet published.
Framing: Announcer Jim Thornton was fired by Sony, using the informal verb 'axed' to convey abrupt dismissal.
Facts Included:
Jim Thornton, the Wheel of Fortune announcer, has been officially fired.
Sony Pictures Television, which produces the long-running gameshow, has axed Thornton after an alleged incident on an American Airlines flight in May.
A studio spokeswoman told Deadline: 'Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately.'
The termination comes only three days after the studio suspended Thornton, recasting the role and conducting an investigation.
TMZ reported that the incident on the plane involved him allegedly visiting a chatroom that is used by 'people with pedophilic thoughts'.
Thornton will no longer be heard on the gameshow with his interim replacement taking over his role on the upcoming season, which premieres on September 14.
An American Airlines spokesperson told Deadline: '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 onboard.'
Thornton has been the announcer for the syndicated game show since 2011 as well as ABC’s Celebrity Wheel of Fortune since its launch in 2021.
He has worked on more 2,200 episodes of the show.
He also has announced The Price Is Right, and his voice has appeared on shows including Celebrity Deathmatch and The Cleveland Show.
Before Wheel of Fortune, he was best known as the afternoon anchor on news radio station KNX 1070.
Framing: The headline immediately frames the story as a suspension of a 'Wheel of Fortune' announcer amid allegations of accessing a pedophilia-linked chatroom, emphasizing the allegation and the celebrity connection. — The tone is measured and neutral, presenting both the allegations and the defense without alarm or judgment.
Facts Included:
Jim Thornton has been suspended by Sony Pictures Television after allegations stemming from an incident on an American Airlines flight, with his lawyer denying illegal conduct.
Sony Pictures Television confirmed the suspension on Tuesday, saying it was conducting a 'thorough investigation' and recasting his role.
TMZ reported that a passenger on a 14 May American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles saw what appeared to be a disturbing online chatroom on Thornton's laptop.
The passenger told TMZ the material appeared to involve conversations about sexual interest in minors and alerted a flight attendant.
TMZ published photographs said to have been taken by the passenger; the images have not been independently authenticated or verified.
Law enforcement officers met Thornton at Los Angeles International Airport after the flight landed; he was questioned and released.
Thornton's attorney, Allison Hart, said he was not arrested or charged and that officers determined there was no criminal wrongdoing.
Hart said Thornton inadvertently accessed a website he believed was connected to suicide-prevention support.
Hart said the site was not unlawful and contained no illegal child sexual abuse material, and that Thornton neither viewed, downloaded, nor consumed such material.
Sony's decision has affected production of 'Wheel of Fortune'; TMZ reported episodes for the upcoming season had been recorded before the suspension and producers were working to remove Thornton from the episodes.
The show's new season is scheduled to premiere on September 14.
The Washington Post reported that American Airlines confirmed Flight 1276, which travelled from Charlotte to Los Angeles on 14 May, was met by law enforcement after concerns were raised by a passenger.
Thornton has been the voice of 'Wheel of Fortune' since 2011, and has worked in Los Angeles radio and television, including roles at KNX and KCBS-TV.
Framing: The headline emphasizes the firing of a 'Wheel of Fortune' star due to a sick airplane incident, using the word 'Fired' and the adjective 'Sick' to characterize the event.
Facts Included:
Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton has officially been fired.
Sony confirmed in a statement to Page Six: 'Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately.'
According to a letter from Thornton’s lawyer obtained by Page Six, the former Wheel of Fortune star was photographed by a fellow passenger while perusing a chatroom for pedophiles for at least 57 minutes, according to timestamps reported by TMZ.
Thornton was wearing a Wheel of Fortune jacket at the time.
Framing: The headline emphasizes the suspension of the longtime announcer Jim Thornton, attributing the news to reports.
Facts Included:
Jim Thornton, the “Wheel of Fortune” announcer, has been suspended by Sony Pictures Television.
A Sony spokesperson said: “We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton. He has been suspended from Wheel of Fortune, and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation.”
Thornton has been with the show since an unspecified time (reported by multiple outlets).
Thornton previously worked as an anchor for KNX 1070 Newsradio in the 1980s and on traffic reports for KCBS-TV, according to Variety.
The suspension was reported by multiple outlets.
The article includes a file photo caption: '"Wheel of Fortune" game show'.
ClaimSony Pictures Television confirmed that Jim Thornton's employment with 'Wheel of Fortune' has been terminated effective immediately, following a thorough investigation.
ClaimJim Thornton was suspended by Sony Pictures Television after allegations stemming from an incident on an American Airlines flight.
ConfidenceHigh
StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via Livemint , WIS10
ClaimSony Pictures Television confirmed the suspension on Tuesday, saying it was conducting a 'thorough investigation' and recasting Jim Thornton's role.
ConfidenceHigh
StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via Livemint , WIS10
ClaimTMZ reported that a passenger on a 14 May American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles saw what appeared to be a disturbing online chatroom open on Jim Thornton's laptop.
ClaimThe passenger told TMZ that the material on Thornton's laptop appeared to involve conversations about sexual interest in minors and alerted a flight attendant.
ClaimTMZ published photographs said to have been taken by the passenger, but the images have not been independently authenticated or verified by authorities or Sony Pictures Television.
ClaimAccording to TMZ, law enforcement officers met Jim Thornton at Los Angeles International Airport after the flight landed, and he was questioned and released.
ClaimJim Thornton's attorney, Allison Hart, told TMZ that he was not arrested or charged and that officers quickly determined there had been no criminal wrongdoing.
ClaimAccording to his lawyer, Jim Thornton inadvertently accessed a website that he believed was connected to suicide-prevention support.
ConfidenceMedium
StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via Livemint , Variety
ClaimAllison Hart said the website Thorntion accessed was not unlawful and contained no illegal child sexual abuse material, and that Thornton neither viewed, downloaded nor otherwise consumed such material.
ClaimSony's decision to suspend Thornton has affected production of 'Wheel of Fortune', with TMZ reporting that producers were working to remove Thornton from episodes and replace his announcements.
ClaimThe Washington Post reported that American Airlines confirmed Flight 1276, travelling from Charlotte to Los Angeles on 14 May, was met by law enforcement after concerns were raised by a passenger.
ClaimJim Thornton has been the voice of 'Wheel of Fortune' since 2011, succeeding Charlie O'Donnell after his death.
ConfidenceHigh
StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via Livemint , Deadline
ClaimJim Thornton has worked in Los Angeles radio and television, including roles at KNX and KCBS-TV, and has provided announcing and voice work for programmes including 'The Price Is Right', 'Celebrity Deathmatch' and 'The Cleveland Show'.
ClaimTMZ reported that the incident on the plane involved Jim Thornton allegedly visiting a chatroom that is used by 'people with pedophilic thoughts'.
ClaimAn American Airlines spokesperson told Deadline that law enforcement met the plane on its arrival in L.A. on May 14, after concerns were reported by a customer onboard.
ClaimJim Thornton has been the announcer for the syndicated 'Wheel of Fortune' since 2011 and for ABC's 'Celebrity Wheel of Fortune' since its launch in 2021.
ClaimBefore 'Wheel of Fortune', Jim Thornton was best known as the afternoon anchor on L.A. news radio station KNX 1070.
ConfidenceHigh
StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via Deadline , Variety
ClaimJim Thornton was photographed by a fellow passenger while perusing a chatroom for pedophiles for at least 57 minutes, according to timestamps reported by TMZ.