Jim Thornton, the announcer for the television game show “Wheel of Fortune,” has been suspended following allegations that he accessed an alleged pedophilia chatroom on an American Airlines flight on May 14. Photos published by TMZ appear to show Thornton, 61, viewing disturbing messages on a laptop for nearly an hour while on the plane.
The images displayed on the screen included phrases such as “A nice hangout for kids. Saw a couple of cute boys and a hot little girl” and “All-you-can-eat Boyffet.” A fellow passenger reportedly alerted a flight attendant to the content, prompting an investigation upon the plane's arrival.
Law enforcement officers met Thornton at the gate and questioned him. He was subsequently released without arrest or charges. Thornton has not been charged in connection with the incident.
Allison Hart, Thornton's attorney, stated in a letter that her client mistakenly entered the chatroom while trying to access a forum for individuals experiencing suicidal ideation. According to Hart, Thornton was seeking support after losing a close family member to suicide two years prior and was misdirected to the website "lifeline.chat" by an acquaintance. Hart claims Thornton understood this forum to be associated with suicide prevention resources, similar to "988lifeline.org."
Hart asserted that Thornton was unaware of the nature of "lifeline.chat" and left the page immediately upon understanding its content. She further stated that the website itself does not contain illegal child pornography or pedophilic content, and that Thornton has never viewed or downloaded such material. "Law enforcement immediately confirmed that no crime had occurred and immediately told my client he was free to go. In short, my client did nothing wrong," Hart added.
A spokesperson for Sony, the producer of “Wheel of Fortune,” confirmed on Tuesday that the company is aware of the allegations and that Thornton has been suspended. The show is reportedly recasting the announcer role and conducting a thorough investigation. Thornton is expected to be edited out of the upcoming 44th season of the show.