Jim Thornton, the announcer for the game show “Wheel of Fortune,” has been suspended from the program following an incident on May 14 where he reportedly visited an inappropriate website while on an airplane. His attorney, Allison Hart, stated that Thornton was questioned by law enforcement upon landing and subsequently released, with no charges filed.
According to a letter from Hart, Thornton, 61, was engaged in suicide-prevention advocacy after the loss of a family member. He frequented support chat rooms for individuals experiencing suicidal ideation, including the site 988lifeline.org and its chat forum. Hart claims Thornton was inadvertently directed to a similarly named forum, lifeline.chat, by an acquaintance. He believed this site also offered suicide prevention support.
Hart asserts that Thornton was unaware the website lifeline.chat provides mental health support for individuals with pedophilic thoughts. "When my client understood what the website was about, he left the page and has not visited since," she stated. The attorney emphasized that Thornton "did nothing wrong" and that law enforcement confirmed no crime had occurred. She further clarified that the website itself is not illegal and contains no unlawful child pornography, nor has Thornton ever viewed or downloaded such content.
Sony, the producer of “Wheel of Fortune,” confirmed awareness of the allegations and announced Thornton's suspension. "He has been suspended from ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation," a spokesperson said.
Sources told TMZ that a fellow passenger on Thornton's flight allegedly complained to a flight attendant about him. American Airlines confirmed to Page Six that an incident was reported and officers were notified. Thornton, who joined “Wheel of Fortune” in 2011, is expected to be edited out of the upcoming 44th season as producers seek a replacement.