Jim Thornton, the longtime announcer for the game show "Wheel of Fortune," has been suspended from his role, Sony Pictures Television confirmed this week. The suspension follows allegations that Thornton accessed a chatroom with pedophilic content.
Thornton's attorney, Allison Hart, stated that her client was attempting to access a suicide prevention chatroom but was "misdirected to a forum with a similar URL." According to Hart, Thornton has been active in suicide-prevention advocacy since a family member died by suicide two years ago and has visited chat rooms to support individuals experiencing suicidal ideation.
Hart emphasized that the chatroom accessed was "not unlawful" and asserted that Thornton "never viewed, downloaded or consumed any child pornography whether on that commercial flight in May or at any other time." The incident reportedly occurred aboard an American Airlines flight in May.
Sony Pictures Television did not disclose the specific reason for Thornton's suspension, but an anonymously sourced report from TMZ indicated it was related to the airplane incident. Hart previously stated that after a fellow passenger filed a complaint about Thornton, law enforcement officers questioned him briefly upon landing before releasing him.
"Wheel of Fortune" is scheduled to premiere its new season on September 14. Producers are reportedly working to find a replacement for Thornton and to remove him from episodes that have already been filmed.