'Wheel of Fortune' Fires Jim Thornton After Pedophile Chatroom Incident

Jim Thornton 'Wheel of Fortune' Fires Him After Pedo Chat Incident Published September 4, 2026 1:51 PM PDT Jim Thornton is 86'd from "Wheel of Fortune" ... TMZ has learned Sony Pictures Television Studios dropped the hammer Friday afternoon. A Sony spokesperson tells us ... "Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately." The firing comes days after TMZ broke the story ... Thornton was flying American Airlines to Los Angeles in May when a passenger spotted him on what she believed to be a chatroom for pedophiles. You can see in the photos ... disturbing messages mentioned "couple of cute boys and a hot little girl," as well as "All-you-can-eat Boyfett." There were also several references to "CP" ... often online shorthand for child porn. As we previously reported, a passenger spotted his screen, notified a flight attendant who alerted the pilot ... who ultimately contacted authorities. Law enforcement met the plane when it landed at LAX -- the authorities questioned Thornton about the incident, but he was ultimately free to leave. Jim's lawyer previously told TMZ the whole thing was seemingly a big mix-up -- she says Jim often visited a suicide prevention chat forum, chat.988lifeline.org, to help people struggling with suicidal ideation. But Jim claims he had been sent the wrong link and wound up on lifeline.chat, which is for people with pedophilic thoughts. He claims he left as soon as he realized the mistake, but the timestamps tell a different story -- from the photos, it looks like Jim was in the chat for almost an hour. We reached out to Jim's lawyer ... who had no comment. Related articles Jim Thornton TV TV Business Jim Thornton Suspension Exclusive Wheel of Fortune