Wheel Of Fortune Announcer Jim Thornton Suspended After Alleged Incident On Flight

Jim Thornton, the announcer of Wheel of Fortune, has been suspended by Sony Pictures Television Studios. TMZ was the first to report about the suspension.

Sony Pictures Television says, “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.”

It appears that the investigation will be looking into an alleged incident from May, when Thornton was taking a commercial flight to Los Angeles. Another passenger complained about him to a flight attendant, and the pilot ensured that law enforcement was at the gate when Thornton arrived at LAX.

Thornton was wearing a Wheel of Fortune jacket while officers questioned him, but he was released after some time. As of now, very little is known about the incident, but American Airlines has confirmed that a passenger had complaints about him.

Wheel of Fortune has already begun taping for this upcoming season. As of now, it’s unclear whether somebody else will dub over Thornton’s voice in the episodes that have already been made. It’s also unknown if Thornton will return to the show in the future.

Jim Thornton first appeared on Wheel of Fortune in 2010, following the death of longtime announcer Charlie O’Donnell. He became the permanent announcer the following year, and his voice can be heard in over 2,000 episodes since then. He also served as a substitute announcer on The Price is Right following the death of Rod Roddy.

This is a developing story. We will update this article as more information becomes available.