'Wheel of Fortune' fires announcer Jim Thornton after alleged in-flight incident
'Wheel of Fortune' fires announcer Jim Thornton after alleged in-flight incident
Anthony Robledo and KiMi Robinson, USA TODAYFri, September 4, 2026 at 9:42 PM UTC
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Editor's note: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing.
"Wheel of Fortune" has fired longtime announcer Jim Thornton following an investigation stemming from an alleged incident aboard a flight in May.
"Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately," a spokesperson for Sony Pictures Television said in a Sept. 4 statement to USA TODAY.
Sony previously confirmed on Sept. 1 that Thornton had been suspended and that the show had begun recasting his role while the investigation was underway.
USA TODAY has reached out to Thornton's attorney for comment.
TMZ was first to report Thornton's firing.
More on Jim Thornton: New details emerge in 'Wheel of Fortune' announcer suspension
Why was Jim Thornton fired from 'Wheel of Fortune'?
His firing comes after TMZ published photos on Sept. 3 purportedly showing Thornton, 61, browsing a website on his laptop while on a flight in May.
The outlet said the images were provided by a passenger who filed a complaint with American Airlines. According to TMZ, the website shown on Thornton's laptop was a chat forum containing exchanges that referenced sexual content, including minors, as well as a link to an Instagram post about the arrest of a man in London for viewing indecent images of children on his phone while using public transportation.
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USA TODAY confirmed there was a complaint made on a 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 onboard," an American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement.
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What did Jim Thornton do? His attorney says he 'did nothing wrong'
Thornton's attorney said "in short, my client did nothing wrong," stating that Thornton was "misdirected to a forum with a similar URL."
According to his attorney, Thornton became active in suicide-prevention advocacy after losing a close family member to suicide two years ago and was trying to access crisis help sites 988lifeline.org and chat.988lifeline.org by "an acquaintance in the suicide prevention space."
Thornton did not know that the website he visited "claims to offer mental health support to individuals with pedophilic thoughts," the lawyer wrote.
"When my client understood what the website was about, he left the page and has not visited since," the lawyer continued, adding the website is "not unlawful, there is no unlawful child pornography or other pedophilic content, and my client has never viewed, downloaded or consumed any child pornography whether on that commercial flight in May or at any other time."
Who is Jim Thornton, the 'Wheel of Fortune' announcer?
The West Virginia native has been with the syndicated game show since 2010, when he was among the guest announcers who tried out for the role following the death of Charlie O'Donnell, who had been behind the mic for more than 25 years. Thornton also served as an announcer for "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune."
"Wheel of Fortune," which stars cohosts Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White, is currently airing reruns with the Season 44 premiere set for on Monday, Sept. 14.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Wheel of Fortune' fires announcer Jim Thornton after alleged in-flight incident
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