Thornton was suspended three days earlier after reports tied an internal review to an incident aboard a May flight.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Sony Pictures Television has fired longtime “Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton, ending his 15-year run with the game show after the studio completed an investigation into allegations that surfaced publicly in early September.
Sony confirmed Thornton’s termination Sept. 4, three days after suspending him and announcing that his role was being recast. The studio said his employment had been terminated effective immediately following what it described as a thorough investigation. Sony has not publicly released the findings of that review or detailed the specific reason it decided to fire Thornton. The action came shortly before the syndicated game show’s new season is scheduled to premiere Sept. 14.
The controversy centers on an incident aboard an American Airlines flight on May 14. The airline confirmed that Flight 1276 was met by law enforcement after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport because of concerns reported by a customer onboard. American Airlines did not identify Thornton in its statement or describe the concerns. Thornton’s attorney has said he was briefly questioned after the flight, was allowed to leave and was not arrested or charged with a crime.
Reports about the incident gained wider attention after TMZ published photographs that it said were taken by another passenger during the flight. The images appeared to show Thornton using a laptop to visit an online discussion forum that described itself as offering support for people with sexual thoughts involving children. Some messages visible in the photographs contained disturbing references involving minors. The passenger who took the photographs reported the situation to the flight crew, according to published accounts.
Thornton’s attorney, Allison Hart, has disputed suggestions that her client intentionally sought out the forum or engaged in illegal conduct. Hart said Thornton had become involved in suicide-prevention advocacy after a death in his family and had visited online crisis-support forums. According to Hart’s account, an acquaintance sent Thornton a link that directed him to an unrelated website with a similar-sounding address. She said Thornton did not initially understand the purpose of the site and left after recognizing what it contained.
Published photographs raised questions about that account because time stamps appeared to indicate the website remained open for close to an hour. The publicly available reporting does not establish what Thornton knew at different points while the page was open. Hart has maintained that Thornton never viewed or downloaded child sexual abuse material and that he committed no crime. No criminal charge against Thornton related to the May flight has been reported.
Sony initially announced Thornton’s suspension Sept. 1, saying it had recently learned of allegations concerning him and was conducting an investigation while recasting the announcer position. At the time, the company did not describe the allegations. By Sept. 4, Sony said the investigation was complete and Thornton’s employment was terminated. The studio has not publicly disclosed what evidence it reviewed, what conclusions investigators reached or whether its decision was based solely on the reported airline incident.
Thornton became the official announcer of “Wheel of Fortune” in 2011 after the death of longtime announcer Charlie O’Donnell in 2010. Thornton had participated as a guest announcer before formally taking over the role. His voice became a regular part of the syndicated program, introducing contestants and hosts and providing announcements for prizes and promotional material. He also worked on “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” and had other television and voice-acting credits, including work connected to “The Price Is Right,” “The Cleveland Show” and “Monsters, Inc.”
The firing creates an immediate production issue because episodes for the coming season had already been recorded with Thornton’s voice. Multiple entertainment reports said producers were replacing his recorded announcements with those of an interim announcer. TVLine reported that an interim voice had been brought in to rerecord Thornton’s material for the new season. Sony has not publicly announced a permanent successor.
Thornton, 61, has not been reported as issuing a separate public statement about his firing. His response to the allegations has come through his attorney, who has denied wrongdoing on his behalf. As of Sept. 7, no criminal charges connected to the reported flight incident have been announced, and Sony has not released additional details about its internal findings. “Wheel of Fortune” remains scheduled to return for its new season Sept. 14 with a different announcer.
Author note: Last updated September 7, 2026.