Wheel of Fortune Fires Jim Thornton Over Chatroom Incident

Jim Thornton, 61, was suspended from Wheel of Fortune after a passenger photographed his laptop screen on an American Airlines flight in May showing a chatroom linked to pedophilia.

• 57 minutes of timestamps appear across the photos taken by the passenger.
• May 14: American Airlines confirmed Flight 1276 was met by law enforcement at LAX.
• Law enforcement questioned Thornton for five minutes or less, then released him, per his attorney.
• Sony is recasting the announcer role and removing Thornton's voice from upcoming episodes.

Why it matters: Thornton has been the show's announcer since 2011 and had already taped episodes for the upcoming season. Sony's decision to recast and remove his existing recordings signals the company is treating the allegations as serious regardless of any criminal determination.

• No arrest or criminal charge has been filed; law enforcement told his attorney no crime occurred.

How 23 sources split on this story

Where they split: The central dispute is whether Thornton accidentally landed on the site briefly or knowingly browsed it for nearly an hour, as the timestamps in the photos suggest.

What’s next: Sony's investigation is ongoing; the company has not detailed the specific allegations.

• Season 44, with Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White, premieres September 14.
• What did Sony's investigation find beyond what law enforcement examined?
• How did the passenger and Thornton's attorney each account for the 57-minute timestamp discrepancy?