More details regarding the suspension of โWheel of Fortuneโ announcer Jim Thornton are emerging: According to TMZ, the website has received photos from an American Airlines passenger who says they saw Thorntonโs laptop opened on a โdisturbing chat roomโ that appeared to be โimages and texts that made it appear it was a chat room for pedophiles.โ
TMZ included several photos that the passenger supposedly took of Thorntonโs screens, which include comments and texts that suggest inappropriate behavior toward minors, but those photos have not been authenticated.
The alleged incident that led to the suspension apparently took place on an American Airlines flight in May. The passenger told TMZ that they informed a flight attendant about the chat room usage, and that authorities questioned Thornton at LAX when his flight landed. He was then given permission to leave, the website said.
The news stunned Hollywood insiders who know and who have worked with Thornton, who generally has a positive reputation as a TV announcer and as a reporter. In Los Angeles, Thornton is known for his long-running roles in both radio, via KNX 1070 Newsradio and TV as a traffic anchor on KCBS-TV. (He is no longer with either station.)
Thorntonโs lawyer, Allison Hart, has so far not returned requests for comment. But TMZ said she told the outlet that it was a misunderstanding, and that Thornton had โbecome active in suicide-prevention advocacy since losing a close family member to suicide two years ago and he has spent time visiting chat rooms offering support to individuals suffering from suicidal ideation.โ
The site, she said, is โnot unlawful, there is no unlawful child pornography or other pedophilic content and my client never viewed, downloaded or consumed any child pornography whether on that commercial flight in May or at any other time. In short, my client did nothing wrong.โ
Thornton hasnโt commented on his suspension, and doesnโt have an active social media presence (his last post on X/Twitter was in 2016), so thereโs been little information coming from his camp. The announcer also doesnโt maintain a website, itโs unclear if he is still set up at a talent agency (his last reps, A3 Artists Agency, shut down in 2024).
The only confirmed detail in this situation came from Sony Pictures TV, which said Tuesday that โwe have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton. He has been suspended from โWheel of Fortuneโ and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation.โ ย
TMZ, which first reported the suspension, previously 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 the site said. Thornton was wearing a โWheel of Fortuneโ jacket, the site added, noting that he was questioned but โultimately released.โ
The announcer joined โWheelโ in 2010 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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