Longtime ‘Wheel of Fortune’ announcer Jim Thornton suspended after alleged airline incident

“Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton has been suspended following an alleged airplane incident earlier this year. “We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,” a spokesperson for Sony told Page Six Tuesday. “He has been suspended from ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation.” “Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton (seen above) has been suspended from the show. The TV personality is facing allegations stemming from an incident on an airplane back in May. (Seen above: Thornton with Pat Sajak and Vanna White.) YouTube/Wheel of Fortune While Sony didn’t disclose additional details, insiders told TMZ that Thornton was on a flight in May when a fellow passenger allegedly complained about him to a flight attendant. Law enforcement officers were notified about the alleged incident and met Thornton at the gate upon arrival at his destination. The TV personality, who wore a “Wheel of Fortune” jacket, was questioned by officers and then released. “We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,” a rep for Sony told Page Six Tuesday. (Seen here: Thornton.) YouTube/Wheel of Fortune The spokesperson continued, “He has been suspended from ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation.” YouTube/Wheel of Fortune American Airlines confirmed to the outlet that an alleged incident occurred onboard a flight heading to Los Angeles International Airport on May 14, and officers were notified. Thornton first joined “Wheel of Fortune” in 2011 after former announcer Charlie O’Donnell passed away from congestive heart failure at the age of 78. O’Donnell was a part of the competition series from 1975 to 1980, and then again from 1989 to 2010. It’s unclear what incident Thornton (seen above) was involved in. YouTube/Wheel of Fortune Thornton notably worked alongside former “WOF” host Pat Sajak up until the latter retired from the show after more than four decades in 2024. Additionally, Thornton has previously briefly appeared on “The Soup,” “The Price Is Right,” “The Soup” and “Celebrity Deathmatch.” He’s also taken on the role as a voice actor in the 2001 animated Disney movie, “Monsters, Inc.” Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space. In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will/might be rejected if it contains: Spam Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk So, how can you be a power user? Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across. 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions! Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules. Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!