‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Announcer Jim Thornton Axed By Sony

Jim Thornton, the announcer for the game show "Wheel of Fortune", has been fired by Sony Pictures Television. The decision comes after an incident on an American Airlines flight in May. According to Deadline, a studio spokeswoman confirmed that Thornton's employment was terminated immediately following a thorough investigation.

Details of the incident have emerged, with Variety reporting that photos obtained by TMZ showed Thornton's laptop open on a chat room that appeared to contain disturbing content. TheWrap provides more information, stating that the chat room, lifeline.chat, seemed to be related to pedophilia, but Thornton's attorney claims he intended to visit a suicide prevention website, 988lifeline.org.

The attorney denies any wrongdoing, stating that the chat room was not unlawful and that Thornton never viewed or downloaded child pornography.

The incident led to police meeting Thornton at the gate, but he was not arrested or charged with any crime. According to TheWrap, timestamps indicate that Thornton visited the chat room for at least 57 minutes, but he claims to have left once he realized what it was.

Brief written by urgent.news from Deadline, Variety, TheWrap — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.