Thornton denied the allegations after he was suspended from the game show earlier this week
Credit: CBS
NEED TO KNOW
- Jim Thornton has been fired from Wheel of Fortune
- The news comes days after Thornton was suspended from the show as Sony investigated allegations concerning him
- Thornton has since denied the allegations
Jim Thornton has been fired from Wheel of Fortune.
Thornton, 61, who became the hit game show’s announcer in 2011, has been fired by Sony Pictures Television Studios. “Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately,” a Sony spokesperson told PEOPLE in a statement.
The news comes three days after the studio suspended Thornton and launched an investigation into allegations made against him on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
“We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,” Sony Pictures Television Studios previously told PEOPLE in a statement. “He has been suspended from Wheel of Fortune and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation.” Sony did not specify the nature of the allegations in its statement.
Credit: Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty
The allegations stem from an alleged incident aboard a commercial flight in May, TMZ reported. The outlet reported that a passenger complained to a flight attendant about Thornton during the flight.
“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,” American Airlines said in a statement to PEOPLE. The airline did not identify Thornton or provide further details about the nature of the alleged incident.
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Thornton has since denied the allegations. In a statement to TMZ, his attorney said the TV personality “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’s attorney continued.
PEOPLE has reached out to a representative for Thornton for comment.
Thornton joined Wheel of Fortune as its announcer in 2011, following the 2010 death of longtime announcer Charlie O’Donnell.
O’Donnell served as the show’s announcer from 1975 to 1980 before returning in 1989 and remaining with the series until his death.
Outside of Wheel of Fortune, Thornton has worked as an announcer on shows including The Price Is Right and The Soup and has lent his voice to projects including The Cleveland Show and Monsters, Inc.
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