New details have emerged about the incident that preceded the suspension of longtime Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton, although Sony Pictures Television has not publicly confirmed the specific allegations being investigated.
Sony confirmed this week that Thornton had been suspended from the programme and that his announcing role was being recast while the studio conducts what it described as a thorough investigation. The company has not disclosed the nature of the allegations.
The development follows reports of an incident aboard an American Airlines flight on 14 May. American Airlines confirmed that Flight 1276 was met by law enforcement after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport, following concerns reported by a customer onboard. The airline did not identify Thornton as the passenger involved.
A Disturbing Chatroom
According to TMZ, however, Thornton was travelling from Charlotte to Los Angeles when a fellow passenger noticed material displayed on his laptop. The passenger told TMZ that she believed the screen showed a chatroom associated with people with pedophilic interests. She photographed the screen and alerted a flight attendant, prompting the crew to notify the captain and authorities.
TMZ subsequently published photographs purportedly taken during the flight. The images reportedly showed messages containing disturbing references to children, including one reading 'Couple of cute boys and a hot little girl' and another referring to 'All-you-can-eat Boyfett'. Another message included the abbreviation 'CP', which the passenger interpreted as referring to child pornography.
However, the photographs do not establish that Thornton authored the messages. E! News reported that it remains unclear whether Thornton was responsible for sending any of the messages visible on the screen.
In Defence of Thornton
Thornton's attorney, Allison Hart, has strongly denied that her client engaged in illegal conduct.
According to Hart, Thornton had become involved in suicide-prevention advocacy following the death of a close family member and had spent time visiting online forums connected with suicide-prevention support. She said he was familiar with 988lifeline.org and its associated chat forum, chat.988lifeline.org.
Hart said Thornton was subsequently sent a link to lifeline.chat by an acquaintance from the suicide-prevention community. According to the lawyer, Thornton believed the link was connected to the support forums he had previously visited and left after discovering the site's nature.
TMZ reported that timestamps visible in the photographs appeared to indicate that the chatroom remained open for at least 57 minutes. That timing is based on the images obtained by the outlet and has not been independently established as evidence of Thornton's intentions or activity.
Hart has also disputed any suggestion that Thornton viewed illegal material. She said lifeline.chat itself was not unlawful and maintained that her client had never viewed, downloaded or consumed child pornography.
She further stated that Thornton was neither arrested nor charged following the incident. According to her account, law enforcement questioned him for five minutes or less after the plane landed and then allowed him to leave.
What Is Next for Thornton?
Despite the absence of any reported criminal charge, Sony has moved to suspend Thornton from Wheel of Fortune while its investigation continues. The studio has also begun recasting the announcer role.
Thornton joined Wheel of Fortune in 2011, following the death of longtime announcer Charlie O'Donnell. He has remained the show's announcer through major changes to the programme, including Pat Sajak's departure and Ryan Seacrest's arrival as host.
Reports indicate that producers are also working to remove Thornton's previously recorded voiceovers from forthcoming episodes as the programme prepares for its next season.
For now, the allegations remain under investigation. While photographs and accounts surrounding the May flight have provided more information about the circumstances, neither Sony nor law enforcement has publicly alleged that Thornton committed a crime, and he has not been reported as having been arrested or charged.
The distinction is significant as the investigation continues and Wheel of Fortune prepares to move forward with a replacement announcer.
