Jim Thornton has been dismissed from Wheel of Fortune after photos surfaced that allegedly showed him viewing a chatroom labeled “pedophilia” on his laptop during a flight.
Sony Pictures Television confirmed the move in a statement Friday afternoon, four days after the 61-year-old longtime announcer was suspended from the hit game show.
“Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately,” a company representative told the Daily Mail.
The decision came the same day the Daily Mail published images it said were taken by another passenger aboard an American Airlines flight in May, purportedly showing Thornton accessing the site while on the plane.
A zoomed-in image of the laptop screen appeared to show troubling chat messages, including one user referring to a restaurant as “a nice hangout for kids” and describing a “couple of cute boys and a hot little girl.”
Another unsettling message reads, ‘All-you-can-eat Boyffet.’ There is also a message referencing ‘CP’ which the passenger who took the photos believed to be short for ‘child pornography.’
Photos have emerged showing Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton looking at an alleged ‘pedophilia’ chatroom while on an airplane
From the timestamps on the photos – which show Thornton wearing a Wheel of Fortune jacket – it appears he was in the chatroom for at least 57 minutes.
Thornton’s lawyer, Allison Hart, told TMZ that the voice actor clicked on the site by mistake.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Thornton for comment but has yet to hear back.
Hours after he was fired, Thornton’s Facebook account was no longer publicly accessible. The account was active earlier that day and featured behind-the-scenes photos and videos of Thornton on the popular game show set.
Thornton’s name and photos were also removed from the show’s social media channels.
Hart said that Thornton had ‘become active in suicide-prevention advocacy since losing a close family member to suicide two years ago, and he has spent time visiting chat rooms offering support to individuals suffering from suicidal ideation.’
Hart said that Thornton often visited a suicide prevention website named 988lifeline.org and its chat forum, chat.988lifeline.org.
Thornton claims he was sent a link to a different chatroom, lifeline.chat, by an acquaintance from the suicide prevention group. The site is intended for people experiencing pedophilic thoughts.
Thornton claims he left the chatroom after realizing what it was.
His lawyer added that the website he visited is ‘not unlawful, there is no unlawful child pornography or other pedophilic content, and my client never viewed, downloaded or consumed any child pornography whether on that commercial flight in May or at any other time.’
Hart said that the announcer ‘did not engage in any illegal conduct, was not arrested, and has not been charged with any crime.’
The attorney claimed: ‘When questioned about the complaint made by a fellow passenger on the flight, law enforcement spoke to him for five minutes or less, immediately determined that no wrongdoing had occurred and told my client he was free to go.’
Thornton, 61, was looking at a laptop screen during an American Airlines flight in May, in images taken by a fellow passenger and obtained by the Daily Mail
From the timestamps on the photos – which show Thornton wearing a Wheel of Fortune jacket – it appears he was in the chatroom for at least 57 minutes
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Thornton’s lawyer, Allison Hart, told TMZ that the voice actor clicked on the site by mistake
Hart said that Thornton had ‘become active in suicide-prevention advocacy’ and ‘spent time visiting chat rooms offering support to individuals suffering from suicidal ideation’
Thornton claims he was sent a link to a different chatroom, lifeline.chat, by an acquaintance from the suicide prevention group
Thornton claims he left the chatroom after realizing what it was
His lawyer added that the website he visited is ‘not unlawful’ and that ‘there is no unlawful child pornography or other pedophilic content’
Thornton’s attorney said her client ‘never viewed, downloaded or consumed any child pornography whether on that commercial flight in May or at any other time’
Hart said that the announcer ‘did not engage in any illegal conduct, was not arrested, and has not been charged with any crime’
Thornton was fired from Wheel of Fortune on Friday afternoon
Thornton is rarely seen on the show, which is hosted by Vanna White and Ryan Seacrest
According to TMZ, another passenger allegedly complained about Thornton to a flight attendant back on the American Airlines plane back in May.
The plane’s pilot arranged to have law enforcement waiting for Thornton once he reached the gate.
Thornton was questioned by the officers before he was allowed to go on his way.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, American Airlines said: ‘On May 14, American Airlines Flight 1276 was met by law enforcement upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport following concerns reported by a customer onboard.’
Thornton’s tenure with the show began in 2011, when he replaced former announcer Charlie O’Donnell after his death in November 2010 at 78.
Thornton is rarely seen on the show, which is hosted by Vanna White and Ryan Seacrest.
In addition to being the announcer for Wheel of Fortune, Thornton is also a voice actor who has recorded small roles in high-profile Disney–Pixar films, including Monsters, Inc and Wall-E
However, TMZ noted that in 2023 he filled in for then-host Pat Sajak to host a round of the competition because a contestant was hoping to meet him.
Thornton had a brief stint as an announcer on The Price Is Right in 2004.
He’s also done voice work in Disney-Pixar’s film Monsters, Inc and the video game adaptation of Wall-E.
The live-action announcer is best known for appearing on the animated comedy The Cleveland Show and MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch.