Longtime Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton has been suspended from the game show and his role is being recast, Sony Pictures Television has 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 told multiple outlets.
The suspension relates to an alleged incident on an American Airlines flight in May, according to TMZ, which first reported the news.
An American Airlines spokesperson told Deadline that law enforcement met the plane on its arrival in L.A. on May 14 “following concerns reported by a customer onboard.”
Thornton’s attorney told TMZ the announcer “did not engage in any illegal conduct, was not arrested, and has not been charged with any crime. When questioned about the complaint made by a fellow passenger on the flight, law enforcement spoke to him for five minutes or less, immediately determined that no wrongdoing had occurred and told my client he was free to go.”
On Tuesday, Thornton appeared on that night’s pre-taped episode of Wheel of Fortune.
The 61-year-old has served as the announcer on the game show since 2011, as well as on ABC’s Celebrity Wheel of Fortune since its launch in 2021. He has appeared in more than 2,200 episodes of the show.
He took over the post after the death of longtime announcer Charlie O’Donnell in 2010.
Thornton is also known as the afternoon anchor on all-news radio KNX 1070 in Los Angeles.
He has lent his voice to Johnny Gomez in Celebrity Deathmatch and the announcer on The Cleveland Show. His video game credits include additional voice work on Hitman: Blood Money and a role as a DJ in Mafia II.
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