Sony Pictures Television Studios terminated Jim Thornton from "Wheel of Fortune" effective immediately after what the company called a thorough investigation, ending a 15-year run that began when Thornton replaced the show's iconic original announcer. A Sony spokesperson confirmed the firing on Friday, offering a one-sentence statement that left the nature of the underlying allegations […] The post Sony fires 'Wheel of Fortune' announcer Jim Thornton after completing investigation appeared first on American Almanac .
Sony Pictures Television Studios terminated Jim Thornton from "Wheel of Fortune" effective immediately after what the company called a thorough investigation, ending a 15-year run that began when Thornton replaced the show's iconic original announcer. A Sony spokesperson confirmed the firing on Friday, offering a one-sentence statement that left the nature of the underlying allegations unspecified. Thornton, 61, had already been suspended from the long-running game show on September 1, when Sony first acknowledged it had "recently been made aware of allegations" against him. The company began recasting the announcer role at that point and launched its internal review. The termination caps a rapid sequence of events that traces back to a…Open
Sony Pictures Television Studios terminated longtime Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton after an investigation into his alleged use of a pedophilia-related chatroom aboard a commercial flight, a firing his attorney contests, insisting he committed no crime. Thornton's dismissal came with a terse, five-word kicker from the studio: "effective immediately." A Sony spokesperson confirmed the […] The post Sony fires 'Wheel of Fortune' announcer Jim Thornton after in-flight pedophilia chatroom incident appeared first on American Almanac .
Sony Pictures Television Studios terminated longtime Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton after an investigation into his alleged use of a pedophilia-related chatroom aboard a commercial flight, a firing his attorney contests, insisting he committed no crime. Thornton's dismissal came with a terse, five-word kicker from the studio: "effective immediately." A Sony spokesperson confirmed the decision to Page Six , saying it followed "a thorough investigation" but offering no further detail about what that investigation uncovered or how long it lasted. The firing caps a rapid unraveling that began on a May 14 American Airlines flight and accelerated over a single week in September, leaving one of daytime television's most familiar voices…Open
The longtime "Wheel of Fortune" announcer's attorney fired back at TMZ's reporting on an in-flight incident, saying law enforcement cleared Jim Thornton in minutes, but Sony suspended him anyway. Thornton's lawyer sent a letter to TMZ denouncing its September 1 report as "defamatory" and denying that the veteran announcer engaged in any criminal conduct aboard […] The post Jim Thornton's lawyer calls TMZ report on 'Wheel of Fortune' suspension 'defamatory,' says announcer committed no crime appeared first on American Almanac .
The longtime "Wheel of Fortune" announcer's attorney fired back at TMZ's reporting on an in-flight incident, saying law enforcement cleared Jim Thornton in minutes, but Sony suspended him anyway. Thornton's lawyer sent a letter to TMZ denouncing its September 1 report as "defamatory" and denying that the veteran announcer engaged in any criminal conduct aboard an American Airlines flight last May. USA TODAY obtained the letter on September 2, one day after Sony Pictures Television confirmed it had suspended Thornton and begun recasting his role while conducting what it called a "thorough investigation." The sequence raises a pointed question: if law enforcement found nothing wrong in under five minutes, what exactly is Sony…Open
The longtime "Wheel of Fortune" announcer Jim Thornton faces suspension from the show after an unspecified complaint on an American Airlines flight, but his lawyer says officers cleared him in five minutes and never filed charges. Thornton, 61, was met by law enforcement at the gate when his flight landed at Los Angeles International Airport […] The post Jim Thornton's lawyer says 'Wheel of Fortune' announcer committed no crime in airline incident that led to suspension appeared first on American Almanac .
The longtime "Wheel of Fortune" announcer Jim Thornton faces suspension from the show after an unspecified complaint on an American Airlines flight, but his lawyer says officers cleared him in five minutes and never filed charges. Thornton, 61, was met by law enforcement at the gate when his flight landed at Los Angeles International Airport on May 14, after a fellow passenger complained to a flight attendant about an alleged incident during the trip. Officers questioned the announcer, who was wearing his "Wheel of Fortune" jacket at the time, and let him go. No arrest was made. No charges followed. Sony, which produces the long-running game show, moved anyway. The company suspended Thornton and began searching for a replacement while it…Open
Sony Pictures Television has suspended longtime "Wheel of Fortune" announcer Jim Thornton and begun recasting his role after allegations tied to an incident on a commercial flight, though Thornton's lawyer says law enforcement cleared him in minutes. The studio confirmed the move on September 1, 2026, issuing a brief statement that disclosed almost nothing about […] The post Jim Thornton suspended from 'Wheel of Fortune' over airline flight allegations appeared first on American Almanac .
Sony Pictures Television has suspended longtime "Wheel of Fortune" announcer Jim Thornton and begun recasting his role after allegations tied to an incident on a commercial flight, though Thornton's lawyer says law enforcement cleared him in minutes. The studio confirmed the move on September 1, 2026, issuing a brief statement that disclosed almost nothing about what Thornton allegedly did. USA TODAY reported that Sony called the investigation "thorough" but offered no timeline and no details about the nature of the complaint. The gap between what Sony has said publicly and what Thornton's own attorney has put on the record is worth examining. One side is treating this as serious enough to pull a 15-year fixture off the air. The other…Open