The studio ended Thornton’s nearly 15-year run three days after suspending him, with an interim announcer replacing his recorded parts.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Sony Pictures Television fired longtime “Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton on Sept. 4 following an internal investigation into allegations that drew public attention after an incident aboard an American Airlines flight in May.
Sony had suspended Thornton three days earlier and said it was recasting the announcer position while conducting what it called a thorough investigation. The studio later said, “Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with ‘Wheel of Fortune’ has been terminated, effective immediately.” Sony has not publicly released the findings of its review or explained the specific basis for the decision.
The dismissal creates an immediate change for one of television’s longest-running syndicated game shows. Thornton had been the program’s full-time announcer since 2011, introducing contestants, hosts, prizes and other portions of the broadcast. The upcoming season had already been recorded with his voice, according to entertainment industry reports, requiring producers to replace his announcements before those episodes air.
The allegations have been linked in published reports to American Airlines Flight 1276 on May 14. American Airlines confirmed that law enforcement met the flight after it arrived at Los Angeles International Airport because of concerns reported by a customer onboard. The airline did not identify Thornton in its statement and did not publicly describe what prompted the passenger’s concern.
TMZ later published photographs it said were taken by a passenger during the flight. The images appeared to show Thornton’s laptop displaying an online forum that described itself as a support space for people with sexual thoughts involving children. Published accounts said the passenger reported the situation to the flight crew, and authorities questioned Thornton after the plane arrived in Los Angeles. He was allowed to leave, and no arrest or criminal charge related to the incident has been reported.
Thornton’s attorney, Allison Hart, disputed suggestions that he intentionally sought out the forum or committed a crime. Hart said Thornton had become involved in suicide-prevention advocacy after losing a close family member to suicide and had spent time visiting online forums connected to that work. According to Hart, an acquaintance sent Thornton a link to a site with an address that he believed was associated with suicide-prevention support.
Hart said Thornton did not initially understand the nature of the website and left after realizing what it contained. She also said he had never viewed or downloaded child sexual abuse material and did not engage in illegal conduct. Hart said officers questioned Thornton only briefly after the flight and then told him he was free to leave. Those statements represent Thornton’s account through his attorney; law enforcement has not publicly released a detailed report of its encounter with him.
TMZ reported that timestamps associated with photographs from the flight appeared to span nearly an hour, a detail that raised questions about the timeline described by Thornton’s attorney. The publicly available reporting does not establish what Thornton understood about the site at different points during that period. Sony also has not disclosed whether the photographs, the reported flight incident or other information formed the basis of its employment decision.
Thornton was suspended Sept. 1 after Sony said it had recently learned of allegations concerning him. At that point, the company said it would recast the position while its investigation continued. Three days later, Sony announced his termination. The studio’s statements did not identify a criminal allegation, and the company has not said that Thornton was fired because authorities concluded that he committed a crime.
Thornton became the official voice of “Wheel of Fortune” after the death of longtime announcer Charlie O’Donnell in 2010. A 2011 announcement from the show said Thornton had already appeared as a guest announcer during Season 28 before being selected for the full-time position. His broadcasting career also included radio news, television announcing and voice work before he joined the game show.
Producers have moved to replace Thornton’s recorded announcements before the new season begins Sept. 14. TVLine, citing Variety, reported that an interim announcer has re-recorded Thornton’s portions of the upcoming episodes. As of Sept. 8, Sony had not publicly announced a permanent successor or released additional findings from its internal investigation.
Author note: Last updated September 8, 2026.