Jim Thorton, Wheel of Fortune Announcer, Suspended Over Flight Incident
Jim Thornton, the voice of Wheel of Fortune since 2011 who has appeared in more than 2,200 episodes of the show, was suspended by Sony Pictures Television Monday and his announcing role is being temporarily recast while the studio conducts an investigation.
"We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton," Sony said. "He has been suspended from Wheel of Fortune and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation." No further details were provided by the studio.
TMZ, which first broke the story, reports the allegations stem from an incident on American Airlines Flight 1276 on May 14, in which a passenger complained to a flight attendant about Thornton, who was reportedly wearing a Wheel of Fortune jacket.
The pilot called ahead and law enforcement met him at the gate at LAX. American Airlines confirmed to TMZ that the flight was met by law enforcement "following concerns reported by a customer onboard."
Thornton's attorney responded Monday evening: "Jim Thornton did not engage in any illegal conduct, was not arrested, and has not been charged with any crime.
When questioned about the complaint made by a fellow passenger on the flight, law enforcement spoke to him for five minutes or less, immediately determined that no wrongdoing had occurred and told my client he was free to go."
Thornton still appeared on Monday evening's pre-taped episode of the show.
