Wheel of Fortune may soon sound a little different. The voice of the series as its announcer, Jim Thornton has been suspended from the iconic game show.
Although the show’s distributor, Sony Pictures Television, did not offer a reason for Thornton’s suspension, they told TMZ “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.”
The investigation, per TMZ, may stem from an alleged incident on a flight a few months ago, where “a passenger complained to a flight attendant about Thornton.” At that point, they claim, “the pilot called ahead to have law enforcement meet Thornton when they arrived at the gate.”
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Thornton was reportedly questioned, but later released. (American Airlines confirmed to TMZ that police met the flight at the airport over “concerns reported by a customer onboard.”)
Thornton’s representative told TMZ he “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.”
Thornton has been the announcer of Wheel of Fortune since 2011. He has also played the role of announcer on other shows, including The Price Is Right. He continued in his role on Wheel of Fortune even as its longtime host, Pat Sajak, retired in 2024. Sajak was replaced by Ryan Seacrest.
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Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky
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