“Wheel of Fortune” longtime announcer Jim Thornton has been suspended from the show and his role will be recast, TODAY.com has learned.
Sony Pictures Television Studios confirmed in a statement sent to TODAY.com Tuesday, Sept. 1, that Thornton will not be involved with the show as the studio looks into allegations against him.
“We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton. He has been suspended from ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation,” the studio said.
The studio did not share more details about the allegations or investigation.
TODAY.com has reached out to Thornton for a comment.
TMZ was first to report the news of Thornton’s suspension. The outlet also reported that the allegations involve an incident between Thornton and an American Airlines passenger on a flight in May.
In a statement to TODAY.com, American Airlines did not mention Thornton by name. However, the airline did confirm there was an incident on a flight in May.
“On May 14, American Airlines Flight 1276 was met by law enforcement upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) following concerns reported by a customer onboard,” the statement said.
Thornton, 66, has been the voice of “Wheel of Fortune” since 2010, the same year original announcer Charlie O’Donnell died at the age of 78.
Thornton was initially a guest announcer and officially joined the show as the main announcer for its 29th season in 2011. He has announced a total of 2980 episodes and has also served as an announcer for “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” since 2021
His voice acting credits include roles in “The Cleveland Show,” “Celebrity Deathmatch” and “Monsters, Inc.” as well.
Thornton has spent most of his time on “Wheel of Fortune” behind the cameras, with Pat Sajak and Vanna White serving as the hosts until Sajak’s departure in June 2024. Ryan Seacrest began hosting the game show with White in <a href="https://comicvibe.com/11-best-african-films-and-tv-shows-to-watch-in-<a href="https://comicvibe.com/pluto-tv-to-add-mean-girls-smile-and-anime-titles-this-september/” title=”PLUTO TV to Add MEAN GIRLS, SMILE and Anime Titles This September”>september-2026/” title=”11 Best African Films and TV Shows to Watch in September 2026″>September 2024.
