Jim Thornton Fired from ‘Wheel of Fortune’ After Alleged Incident on Airplane

Jim Thornton, the longtime announcer on Wheel of Fortune, has been fired from the show after an alleged incident on an airplane.

The voiceover star, who has been working on the game show since 2011, was wearing a Wheel of Fortune jacket when a fellow airplane passenger complained about his behavior.

TMZ reports that Thornton was using his laptop to view a “disturbing chat room” including “images and texts that made it appear it was a chat room for pedophiles.” Now, a Sony spokesperson has confirmed that he has been fired.

Rep for Wheel of Fortune confirms Jim Thornton was fired

The rep for Sony told TMZ, “Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately.”

Upcoming episodes are also being edited to add a new announcer’s voice. The new season premieres on September 14.

Jim Thornton’s lawyer speaks out about alleged incident

Jim‘s lawyer says that he was in the chatroom as part of his work with suicide prevention.

The lawyer told TMZ that Jim 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.”

Jim‘s lawyer also said that the website 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.”

“In short, my client did nothing wrong,” she said.

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