After announcer Jim Thornton’s suspension from “Wheel of Fortune,” his lawyer is denying he engaged in wrongdoing and says he was cleared after a passenger allegedly issued a complaint on a flight.
Jim Thornton’s lawyer defends him amid ‘Wheel of Fortune’ suspension
A lawyer for the longtime “Wheel of Fortune” announcer issued a statement after he was suspended from the show ahead of its Season 44 premiere.
A lawyer for longtime “Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton is disputing reports about the alleged incident that led to an internal investigation and his suspension from the show.
Hours after TMZ published a report about Thornton’s suspension on Sept. 1, the voice actor’s lawyer denounced the “defamatory” article for suggesting there was “criminal wrongdoing” on a commercial flight to Los Angeles in May.
“My client did not engage in any illegal conduct, was not arrested, and has not been charged with any crime,” the lawyer wrote in a letter to the outlet, obtained by USA TODAY on Sept. 2. “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.”
USA TODAY confirmed there was a complaint made on a flight in May. “On May 14, American Airlines Flight 1276 was met by law enforcement upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) following concerns reported by a customer onboard,” an American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement.
Thornton’s lawyer said “it was TMZ’s request for comment regarding the article” that led to the internal investigation and Thornton’s suspension.
USA TODAY has reached out to “Wheel of Fortune” production company Sony Pictures Television and the Los Angeles Police Department for comment.
What ‘Wheel of Fortune’ said about Jim Thornton’s suspension
Though the status of the internal investigation remains unclear, Sony moved quickly to recast Thornton. In a Sept. 1 statement to USA TODAY, a spokesperson confirmed Thornton’s suspension but declined to address details of the investigation.
“We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,” the Sony spokesperson said. “He has been suspended from Wheel of Fortune and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation.”
“Wheel of Fortune,” which stars cohosts Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White, is currently airing reruns ahead of the premiere of Season 44 on Monday, Sept. 14.
Thornton, who also announces for “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” has been with the syndicated game show since 2010, when he was one of the guest announcers who tried out for the role. In 2011, he was officially cast as the replacement for Charlie O’Donnell, who had been at the mic for more than 25 years and died in November 2010.
In 2021, Thornton also became the announcer for “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.”