Longtime ‘Wheel of Fortune’ announcer Jim Thornton suspended
“We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton.”
( KTLA ) — Jim Thornton, the longtime announcer of “ Wheel of Fortune ,” has been suspended by Sony Pictures Television Studios.
“We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,” a Sony spokesperson told Nexstar’s KTLA. “He has been suspended from ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation.”
Sony did not provide further details about what kind of allegations were made.
TMZ reports that there was an alleged incident involving Thornton onboard a commercial flight back in May, and a passenger complained to a flight attendant about him.
Sources with direct knowledge of the case told the outlet that the pilot called ahead for law enforcement to meet Thornton when they arrived at the gate at Los Angeles International Airport.
The announcer, who was allegedly wearing a “Wheel of Fortune” jacket at the time of the incident, was released after being questioned, according to TMZ.
“On May 14, American Airlines Flight 1276 was met by law enforcement upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport following concerns reported by a customer onboard,” American Airlines told the outlet.
Thornton joined the popular game show in 2011 after longtime announcer Charlie O’Donnell died.
Topics in this story
Gathered from external sources. Rights to this text belong to whoever originally published it.