‘Wheel of Fortune’ Announcer Jim Thornton Fired After Investigation Into Allegations

Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton has been fired from the popular game show following an investigation into an incident that occurred on an American Airlines flight in May, according to TVLine. Thornton was suspended on Tuesday after reports emerged of a fellow passenger complaining to a flight attendant about Thornton using his laptop to access a disturbing chatroom allegedly featuring images and texts that appeared to be a pedophile chatroom.

Law enforcement was called and interviewed Thornton upon the plane's arrival, but he was subsequently released. Thornton's attorney stated that the incident occurred because Thornton had become actively involved in suicide-prevention advocacy following the loss of a close family member to suicide two years ago. He had accessed support chat rooms to offer assistance to those dealing with suicidal thoughts.

Thornton has been the announcer for Wheel of Fortune since 2011, replacing Charlie O'Donnell. He also serves as the announcer for Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, which is set to return for its seventh season on ABC on October 2. An interim announcer has been brought in to replace Thornton for the current season, which premieres on September 14.