'Wheel Of Fortune' Announcer Denies Wrongdoing As New Details Emerge In Firing: Report

LOS ANGELES, CA — New details have emerged about the allegations involving longtime “Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton, who was fired Friday following an investigation by Sony Pictures Television Studios, according to a report.

TMZ reported that the incident centers around a May flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles, when a fellow passenger took photos she says show Thornton accessing what appeared to be "a chatroom for pedophiles" on his laptop.

The passenger alerted the flight crew, and law enforcement officers met the plane when it landed at Los Angeles International Airport, according to the outlet.

Thornton’s attorney, Allison Hart, denied that he engaged in any wrongdoing.

Hart told TMZ that Thornton became involved in suicide-prevention advocacy after losing a close family member to suicide had visited online forums to offer support to people experiencing suicidal thoughts.

According to Hart, an acquaintance connected to that work sent Thornton a link to another chatroom, described by TMZ as being intended for people with pedophilic thoughts.

Thornton maintains that he left the site after realizing what it was, TMZ reported.

"My client never viewed, downloaded or consumed any child pornography whether on that commercial flight in May or at any other time," she said.

Law enforcement officers questioned Thornton after the May flight and allowed him to leave, TMZ previously reported.

Sony Pictures Television Studios on Tuesday announced it had suspended Thornton while investigating allegations against him. The studio has not disclosed the nature of the allegations.

“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.

On Friday, a Sony spokesperson told TMZ that Thornton had been terminated.

"Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately," the spokesperson said.

Thornton has served as the announcer for “Wheel of Fortune” since 2011, succeeding longtime announcer Charlie O’Donnell after O’Donnell’s death.

He 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.”