Jim Thornton, the longtime announcer for Wheel of Fortune, has been suspended by Sony Pictures Television following allegations related to an incident that occurred on an American Airlines flight in May 2026. A spokesperson for the network confirmed the suspension in a statement issued on September 1, 2026, saying, “We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton.”
Thornton was reportedly wearing a jacket with the Wheel of Fortune logo on it during the flight when a passenger filed a complaint with a flight attendant, according to Yahoo News. The situation reportedly escalated to the point that the pilot contacted authorities at the destination airport, alerting them that law enforcement would be needed upon arrival. Police officers were said to have met Thornton at the gate after the plane landed.
Thornton joined the Wheel of Fortune team in 2011, following the death of Charlie O’Donnell. Before landing the role on Wheel of Fortune, he worked as a news anchor and had appeared on several other television shows including The Price Is Right, The Soup, Celebrity Deathmatch, and The Cleveland Show. He also took on smaller roles in Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and added the spinoff Celebrity Wheel of Fortune to his resume in 2021, according to a report from USA Today.
Thornton began his broadcasting career back in 1983 and also worked in radio as an anchor for KNX News 1070 AM. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, with no timeline given yet for when a resolution will be reached.
Sony Pictures Television has not provided further details about the nature of the allegations or what led to the suspension.
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