Jim Thornton has been fired from Wheel of Fortune after he was photographed looking at a ‘pedophilia’ chat room on his laptop.
Sony Pictures Television announced the news in a statement on Friday afternoon, four days after the popular announcer, 61, was suspended from the programme.
“Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated with immediate effect,” a representative told the Daily Mail.
Earlier on Friday, the Daily Mail obtained footage allegedly taken by a fellow passenger aboard an American Airlines flight in May, showing Thornton visiting the location on board the plane.
A close-up of the computer screen shows disturbing messages, including one participant describing a restaurant as “a nice hangout for kids” and mentioning a “couple of nice guys and a pretty girl.”
Another disturbing message reads: ‘All-you-can-eat Boyffet.’ There is also a message referring to “CP,” which the passenger who took the photos thought was short for “child pornography.”
Photos have emerged showing Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton on a plane looking into an alleged ‘pedophilia’ chat room
The timestamps on the photos – which show Thornton wearing a Wheel of Fortune jacket – show he was in the chat room for at least 57 minutes.
Thornton’s attorney, Allison Hart, said TMZ that the voice actor accidentally clicked on the site.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Thornton for comment but has not yet heard back.
Hart said Thornton “had become active in suicide prevention advocacy since losing a close family member to suicide two years ago, and has spent time visiting chat rooms to offer support to those suffering from suicidal ideation.”
Hart said Thornton often visited a suicide prevention website called 988lifeline.org and the chat forum chat.988lifeline.org.
Thornton claims he was given a link to another chat room, lifeline.chat, by an acquaintance at the suicide prevention group. The site is intended for people with pedophilic thoughts.
Thornton claims he left the chat room after realizing what it was.
His lawyer added that the website he visited “is not unlawful, there is no unlawful child pornography or other pedophile content, and my client never viewed, downloaded or consumed child pornography, either on that commercial flight in May or at any other time.”
Hart said the announcer “did not engage in any illegal behavior, was not arrested and was not charged with any crime.”
The lawyer claimed: ‘When questioned about the complaint of a fellow passenger on the flight, the police spoke with him for five minutes or less, immediately determined that no foul play had occurred and told my client he was free to go.’
Thornton, 61, looked at a laptop screen during an American Airlines flight in May, in footage taken by a fellow passenger and obtained by the Daily Mail
The timestamps on the photos – which show Thornton wearing a Wheel of Fortune jacket – show he was in the chat room for at least 57 minutes.
Thornton’s attorney, Allison Hart, told TMZ that the voice actor accidentally clicked on the site
Hart said Thornton had become “active in suicide prevention advocacy” and had “spent time visiting chat rooms to offer support to those suffering from suicidal thoughts.”
Thornton claims he was given a link to another chat room, lifeline.chat, by an acquaintance of the suicide prevention group
Thornton claims he left the chat room 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 pedophile content.”
Thornton’s lawyer said her client “never viewed, downloaded or consumed child pornography, either on that commercial flight in May or at any other time.”
Hart said the announcer “did not engage in any illegal behavior, was not arrested and was not 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 on an American Airlines plane in May.
The plane’s pilot arranged for police to wait for Thornton as soon as he reached the gate.
Thornton was questioned by officers before being allowed to proceed.
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 on board.”
Thornton’s tenure on the show began in 2011, when he replaced former announcer Charlie O’Donnell following his death in November 2010 at the age of 78.
Thornton is rarely seen on the show, which is hosted by Vanna White and Ryan Seacrest.
In addition to being the announcer on 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 has 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 his appearance on the animated comedy The Cleveland Show and MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch.
