Home / Arts and Entertainment / Announcer Fired Over Shocking Flight Allegations
Announcer Fired Over Shocking Flight Allegations
5 Sep
Summary
- Announcer Jim Thornton fired after allegations surfaced.
- Incident involved alleged pedophile chat room on flight.
- Thornton claims accidental website visit, denies wrongdoing.
Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton was terminated from his role effective immediately following an investigation into allegations made against him. He had been suspended from the show on Tuesday, September 1, as the investigation commenced.
The allegations stemmed from an incident reportedly occurring on a flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles in May. A passenger claimed to have witnessed Thornton engaging in a chat room for pedophiles via his laptop and alerted flight crew. Authorities were reportedly contacted and met Thornton upon arrival at LAX.
Thornton was questioned but not arrested or charged. His attorney asserted that Thornton mistakenly accessed a website with a URL similar to a suicide-prevention forum. The attorney maintained Thornton was unaware of the site's nature, left immediately upon realizing its content, and never viewed child pornography.
However, reports indicated timestamps suggested Thornton spent a significant duration on the site, at least 57 minutes. The situation highlights serious concerns and a thorough investigation was conducted by Sony Pictures Television.
