'Wheel of Fortune' announcer Jim Thornton officially fired after investigation

'Wheel of Fortune' announcer Jim Thornton officially fired after investigation Jim Thornton has been terminated from Wheel of Fortune following an in-flight pedophilia chatroom incident. 'Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton's employment with 'Wheel of Fortune' has been terminated, effective immediately,' a Sony Pictures Television Studios representative confirmed in a statement shared with Page Six. This surprising update comes just three days after Jim was suspended from the popular game show. 'We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,' a spokesperon for Sony said at that time. 'He has been suspended from 'Wheel of Fortune,' and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation," a representative added. Although Sony did not provide details regarding the nature of the allegations, it was later reported that the suspension stemmed from an incident that allegedly occurred during a commercial flight in May. According to reports, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Los Angeles complained to a flight attendant about Jim. 'On May 14, American Airlines Flight 1276 was met by law enforcement upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport following concerns reported by a customer onboard,' a rep for the airline told the publication at the time. Late that night, the lawyer for the 61-year-old TV personality issued a statement rejecting the allegations against his client. "Jim did not engage in any illegal conduct, was not arrested, and has not been charged with any crime," attorney Allison Hart said 'When questioned about the complaint made by a fellow passenger on the flight, law enforcement spoke to [Thornton] for five minutes or less, immediately determined that no wrongdoing had occurred and told my client he was free to go," she explained.