Just days after getting suspended from Wheel of Fortune, longtime announcer Jim Thornton has been fired from the beloved game show.
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“Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately,” a Sony Pictures Television Studios spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement on Sept. 4.
The news of Thornton’s termination comes just days after the studio announced they’d launched an investigation concerning allegations against the 61-year-old announcer.
“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,” the studio told TMZ on Sept. 1.
TMZ reports the allegations against Thornton stem from an incident in May. The outlet, citing sources with direct knowledge, reported that a passenger on a commercial flight complained to a flight attendant about the announcer. The flight’s pilot reportedly alerted law enforcement at the airport to meet Thornton when they landed.
In a follow-up report, TMZ alleged that the passenger on the American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles witnessed Thornton looking at images and texts that seemed to be a chatroom for pedophiles. She took pictures (which TMZ published) of the Wheel of Fortune personality allegedly looking at the content on his laptop while on the flight.
“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,” American Airlines explained in an statement to TMZ.
Jim Thornton’s Attorney Pushes Back Against Accusations: ‘My Client Did Nothing Wrong’
Meanwhile, Thornton’s attorney, Allison Hart, explained what her client was looking at while on the flight. She told TMZ that Thornton had “become active in suicide-prevention advocacy since losing a close family member to suicide two years ago, and he has spent time visiting chat rooms offering support to individuals suffering from suicidal ideation.”
Hart explained that the website is “not unlawful, there is no unlawful child pornography or other pedophilic content, and my client never viewed, downloaded, or consumed any child pornography whether on that commercial flight in May or at any other time.”
She also pointed out that Thornton was only briefly questioned by authorities upon landing and wasn’t arrested.
“In short, my client did nothing wrong,” she added.
Thornton has been the announcer for Wheel of Fortune since 2011. Outside of his work on the long-running game show, he’s done voice acting for shows like Family Guy.