Crime & Safety
Longtime 'Wheel Of Fortune' Announcer Suspended, Recasting Underway: Reports
The allegations under investigation center around an incident involving the announcer on board a commercial flight, according to a report.
LOS ANGELES, CA — Jim Thornton, the longtime announcer for “Wheel of Fortune,” has been suspended while Sony Pictures Television Studios investigates allegations involving him, according to reports.
“We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton. He has been suspended from Wheel of Fortune and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation,” a Sony spokesperson told KTLA.
Sony did not disclose the nature of the allegations.
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TMZ reported that the investigation is connected to an incident aboard a commercial flight in May. A passenger complained about Thornton to a flight attendant, and the pilot arranged for law enforcement officers to meet Thornton when the plane arrived at Los Angeles International Airport, according to the outlet.
Officers questioned Thornton before releasing him, TMZ reported.
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Thornton has been the announcer for “Wheel of Fortune” since 2011, when he succeeded longtime announcer Charlie O’Donnell following O’Donnell’s death.
Thornton has also worked as an announcer on programs including “The Price Is Right” and “The Soup” and performed voice work on “The Cleveland Show” and Pixar’s “Monsters, Inc."
TMZ reported that it reached out to Thornton for comment but had not received a response.
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