Sony has fired Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton following an investigation into unspecified allegations. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the announcement comes days after Thornton’s abrupt suspension earlier this week.
“We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,” Sony said in a statement on Tuesday, Sept. 1 via THR. “He has been suspended from Wheel of Fortune and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation.”
Friday, a Sony spokesperson stated, “Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While Sony did not shed light on the allegations, TMZ reported on Thursday an incident involving alleged pedophilic content prompted the investigation. According to the media outlet, Thornton was seen on an American Airlines flight in May, allegedly viewing photos in a pedophilia chatroom on his laptop. A passenger took photos of said photos and chat messages and shared them with a flight attendant. Once the flight from Charlotte landed in Los Angeles, Thornton was questioned but released.
The alleged chatroom was Lifeline.chat, which offers support for people who are attracted to children.
Allison Hart, Thornton’s lawyer, denies the claims stating Thornton unknowingly received the link from an individual in a suicide-prevention chatroom where Thornton provides support to those struggling with suicidal ideation. Hart said Thornton became active in this advocacy work after a family member died from suicide two years ago.
Hart stated that once Thornton realized what Lifeline.chat was, he immediately left the chatroom. Hart added that the chatroom itself 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,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Thornton, who has been with Wheel of Fortune since 2011, was never arrested or charged with a crime.