‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Announcer Jim Thornton Suspended, Role Recast
Sony Pictures Television has suspended Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton and is recasting his role.
The studio made the decision after an alleged incident on an American Airlines flight in May, although details of what exactly happened are not clear.
“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 spokeswoman for the studio told Deadline.
Deadline understands that the recasting is temporary, for now, as they go through the investigation.
The news was first reported by TMZ, which said that a passenger complained to a flight attendant about Thornton, who allegedly was wearing a Wheel of Fortune-branded top on the plane.
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While the details aren’t clear, an American Airlines spokesperson told Deadline that law enforcement met the plane on its arrival in L.A. “On May 14, American Airlines Flight 1276 was met by law enforcement upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) following concerns reported by a customer onboard,” they said.
Thornton has been the announcer for the syndicated game show since 2011 as well as ABC’s Celebrity Wheel of Fortune since its launch in 2021. He has worked on more 2,200 episodes of the show.
He also has announced The Price Is Right, and his voice has appeared on shows including Celebrity Deathmatch and The Cleveland Show.
Before Wheel of Fortune, he was best known as the afternoon anchor on L.A. news radio station KNX 1070.
