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Wheel of Fortune Announcer Suspended Amid Allegations
Confirmed
In Short: Wheel of Fortune's announcer Jim Thornton has been suspended as Sony investigates allegations related to his behavior on a commercial flight in May.
A spokeswoman for the studio told Deadline that Thornton has been suspended from the show while a thorough investigation is conducted.
TMZ reported that the allegations stem from an incident aboard a commercial flight in May, where another passenger complained about Thornton's behavior to a flight attendant.
Thornton, who has won a Murrow award and an Emmy, joined Wheel of Fortune as its announcer in 2011 following the death of longtime announcer Charlie O’Donnell.
Thornton has been a local media presence in Los Angeles for decades, having previously worked as an afternoon anchor on KNX 1070 Newsradio and as a traffic reporter with Metro Traffic in 1985.
The incident was related to an American Airlines flight Thornton took in May, according to TMZ, and he was not taken into custody.
What's confirmed
- “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,” a spokeswoman for the studio…
What's still developing
- The alleged incident was related to an American Airlines flight Thornton took in May, according to TMZ, in which another passenger complained about Thornton’s behavior.
- Thornton was not taken into custody, TMZ reported.
- Murrow award and an Emmy, according to his "Wheel of Fortune" biography.
- TMZ reported that the allegations stem from an alleged incident aboard a commercial flight in May.
- The outlet reported that a passenger complained to a flight attendant about Thornton during the flight.
- Thornton joined Wheel of Fortune as its announcer in 2011, following the 2010 death of longtime announcer Charlie O’Donnell.
- “We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,” Sony Pictures TV said in a statement.
- Popular on Variety Thornton has been a local media presence in Los Angeles for decades, having previously worked as an afternoon anchor on KNX 1070 Newsradio, which he first joined in 1985 as a traffic reporter with…