Updated

Updated · Los Angeles Times · Sep 4

Sony Fires 61-Year-Old Jim Thornton From Wheel of Fortune Over Chat Room Incident

Updated

Updated · Los Angeles Times · Sep 4

Sony Fires 61-Year-Old Jim Thornton From Wheel of Fortune Over Chat Room Incident

Q: What exactly happened on that May flight to make Sony swiftly suspend their longtime Wheel of Fortune announcer before the new season?

What happened on the flight has not been publicly established. The only confirmed facts are that a passenger on American Airlines Flight 1276 raised concerns about Jim Thornton on May 14, 2026, while the plane was headed to Los Angeles International Airport, and the pilot asked for law enforcement to meet the aircraft at the gate. According to TMZ and follow-up reports, officers questioned Thornton after landing and then released him. American Airlines confirmed the flight was met by law enforcement “following concerns reported by a customer onboard.” Neither the airline nor Sony has described the alleged conduct in detail, and there has been no public indication that Thornton was arrested or charged. Sony’s statement suggests the company viewed the allegations as serious enough to act quickly once it learned of them. The studio said it had “recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,” suspended him from “Wheel of Fortune,” and began recasting the announcer role while conducting a “thorough investigation.” So, the short answer is that the exact in-flight behavior remains unknown publicly. What is known is that a customer complaint escalated to police meeting the plane, Thornton was questioned and released, and Sony moved swiftly after becoming aware of the allegations, even before disclosing what those allegations are.

3 articles · Updated · Los Angeles Times · Sep 4

Sony Pictures Television said Jim Thornton’s employment on “Wheel of Fortune” was terminated immediately after an investigation into his connection to a chat room for people attracted to children.
TMZ photos from a May 14 American Airlines flight appeared to show Thornton viewing and typing in the room, where messages referenced minors and “CP”; timestamps indicated he stayed for nearly an hour.
Thornton’s attorney said he entered the room accidentally while doing suicide-prevention outreach, left once he understood its nature, and was briefly questioned at LAX without arrest or charges.
Thornton had announced the show since 2011, and Sony had already suspended him this week while an interim announcer revoiced his parts for the new season.