โWheel of Fortuneโ announcer Jim Thornton has been suspended from the game show, producer Sony Pictures Television has confirmed.
The decision to remove Thornton, who has been with โWheel of Fortuneโ since 2010 (and โCelebrity Wheel of Fortuneโ since 2021), was first reported by TMZ. The website reported that the suspension came in light of an incident on a commercial flight in May, when a passenger told a flight attendant expressed concerns about Thornton. TMZ wrote that โsources with direct knowledge tell us the pilot called ahead to have law enforcement meet Thornton when they arrived at the gate.โ
โWe have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,โ Sony Pictures TV said in a statement. โHe has been suspended from โWheel of Fortuneโ and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation.โ ย
Thornton has been a local media presence in Los Angeles for decades, having previously worked as an afternoon anchor on KNX 1070 Newsradio, which he first joined in 1985 as a traffic reporter with Metro Traffic. He also provided traffic reports on KCBS-TV.
His other broadcast credits include Westwood One Radio Networks, and he was the voice of L.A.โs KCOP-TV for four years. He has received an Edward R. Murrow award, Golden Mike awards and an Emmy.ย
The announcer joined โWheelโ after the death of the showโs previous announcer, Charlie OโDonnell, and has also worked as a substitute announcer on โThe Price Is Right.โ
Thorntonโs other credits include โCelebrity Deathmatch,โ where he voiced Johnny Gomez, and as an announcer on โThe Cleveland Showโ and โTim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!โ Heโs also been heard on several video games and appeared as a commercial narrator in the 2001 animated film โMonsters, Inc.โ He also voiced the 2011 Oscar-nominated short animated film โLetโs Pollute.โ
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