Sony Pictures TV has fired Jim Thornton from Wheel of Fortune effective immediately, ending his run as the show’s announcer after a thorough investigation. The change means Thornton will not be heard when the new season begins on September 14.
The company said Thornton had been suspended while it investigated allegations involving him, and it has already replaced his parts with the voice of an interim announcer. For viewers, that makes the cut immediate and complete: the show is returning without the man who has introduced it since 2010.
Thornton joined Wheel after the death of Charlie O'Donnell and became one of the franchise’s most familiar off-screen voices. He also worked as a substitute announcer on The Price Is Right, voiced Celebrity Wheel of Fortune on ABC, and built a long broadcast resume that included KNX 1070 Newsradio, KCBS-TV, Westwood One Radio Networks and KCOP-TV.
That background only sharpens the contrast with how quickly this ended. Sony said it had made the move after a thorough investigation, but it did not spell out what that review found, and Thornton had not publicly addressed the allegations. TMZ had posted photos it said showed Thornton on an American Airlines flight in May with his laptop open to a disturbing chat room, and the account said a passenger alerted a flight attendant before authorities questioned him at LAX and then let him leave.
For now, the practical question is settled: the new season will go on without Thornton, and no permanent replacement has been announced. What remains open is whether Sony will say anything more about what the investigation concluded, or whether Wheel of Fortune simply moves ahead with the interim voice in place.
